


Dark Exorcist Part One

by EmeryldLuk



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Emotional Detatchment, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Homelessness, Not Quite Human, Original Character(s), Wartime Attitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 23:16:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14758146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeryldLuk/pseuds/EmeryldLuk
Summary: Kisha is about as unassuming as the average girl, so long as you don't stare too long at her. After growing up, homeless, alone, with no memories of better times, she is far too used to her life of running and fighting. She possesses a Parasitic Anti-Akuma weapon and a past that is just itching to catch up  to her. Only it isn't the only thing catching up with her.





	1. Enter the Black Order

**Author's Note:**

> Since I uploaded this before I really knew anything about AO3, I'm going to be doing some editing and proofreading so I can reupload later. It will stay up in the meantime, so feel free to enjoy, just be ready for a better version in a month.

She stared blankly at her reflection in the pool. A rare moment of peace in the middle of nowhere. And still her eyes looked strange to her. It had been two years since they'd turned a strange indigo color, but she couldn't get used to it. Two long years of wandering without end. She bent over and stuck her head under the water to soak her black hair and then ran her brush through it.

It was quiet at least. She could hear a raven and a couple morning doves calling to each other. The pond she knelt in front of wasn't much deeper than her head, but was clear of muck. Around her were moss covered rocks and old thick trees with full branches.

Done untangling her hair, she snapped a ribbon around it in back. She rocked back and up to her feet. She wore no shoes since she had no need. The road had made her feet tough, that and the fighting.

She reached down and picked up her backpack. It was plain and simple as well as old and falling apart. One of the straps had fallen off and she'd had to sew up several large holes in the side.

The trail she followed wasn't much more than a deer trail. It weaved through the trees, barely visible and sometimes vanishing in the taller grasses. She passed several rabbits on the way, though they ignored her completely and she them.

She came to one town that day. The forest ended suddenly where the ground dropped away in a ten foot sloped drop behind a row of houses. She slid down and moved past the first house. The woman there tending her garden looked up warily at her. She waved and walked past.

She swiped a dumpling in the market. The stumpy man at the stall smiled and jabbered at her in German. She palmed the dumpling to her other hand and waved at him as she walked past. She started eating the dumpling a moment later as she continued down the street.

Halfway through the dumpling, she stopped, a strange boy standing in the middle of the road, staring at her.

"What?" she asked out of annoyance. The boy just stood there. Then he called out something in German and two others joined him. One of them bubbled and became a metallic looking orb with canons. "Akuma," she swore.

It started shooting bullets like a machine gun. She ran to the side, diving in the space between stalls. Rolling to her feet she scrambled around the back and up the wall. She ran back out and jumped on top of the one transformed. She brought up her hands and smashed in the human mask of a face it had. As it spiraled out of control, turning to dust, she jumped down and promptly kicked the boy in the nose. his human skin crumbled first and then his body.

"Shit, where'd that other one go?" She glanced around and noticed most of the bystanders already turned to dust. Then something hit her back like a sledgehammer. She slid forward on her face. She rolled over and over as bullets impacted in the stones of the road. She cursed, "I hate Akuma."

 

When Lavi and Kanda arrived at the German town, they found a mess. The market had been riddled with bullet holes and people there trying to fix broken stalls.

"Again, we're too late," Lavi thought out loud.

Kanda knelt in one spot that had been shot up. "I think they were fighting someone here."

"That would certainly make sense. Someone who keeps on moving. I'll go contact headquarters about this." Lavi went down the street in search of a pay phone. Kanda moved around the market, searching for more clues.

"Yea," Lavi said into the phone. "We'll keep up the chase." He hung up the phone and turned around. Kanda walked over and held up a beat up backpack.

"I found this. I think it belongs to whoever the Akuma are after. And I have an idea of where to go next."

"Good," Lavi said. "I'm getting tired of running through Akuma ravaged towns in the middle of nowhere."

"Then let's move. We're actually catching up a bit."

Lavi exclaimed, "Finally! Some good news. Lead on, Yu."

"Quit calling me that," Kanda growled as he moved down a side street.

"Why? It's your name? Oh, are we taking the bag?"

"Might as well."

They plunged into the forest at a run. Kanda glanced at the ground to check his direction. So focused on the ground he was that he didn't notice the girl jump in from above.

She slammed into his shoulders feet first.

"Yu!" Lavi reached for his hammer, but she moved faster, jump kicking him in the chest. "Ow!"

She turned and jerked her backpack away from Kanda. "That's mine."

He got up and grabbed her shoulder. "Wait a minute. Who are you and why are the Akuma chasing you?"

She threw off his hand. "Why the hell should I tell you? Get lost."

"Them trying to kill you ends up with casualties. Now who the hell are you?"

"Well, I'm fucking not saying, asshole. It'd be nice if they just stopped."

"I've got a better question," Lavi announced. They both looked at him. "How is it you're surviving? We've seen six towns so far."

"That's just recently. You're missing a couple dozen. Look, I'm not interested in talking to your kind one bit." She held up her arms in an Ex. "Not talking about anything."

Kanda folded his arms. Lavi asked, "Our kind? You know what we are?"

"Not Getting Involved!" She slung her backpack over her shoulder and pushed through the bushes.

Kanda grabbed her arm as she passed him. She spun and punched him in the jaw. His head spun full around and he fell face first to the ground.

"Don't fucking touch me, exorcist."

He shook his head. "Do you have metal fists or something?"

She hesitated. "I've got one of those anti-akuma weapons. Okay? Satisfied?"

"Not in particular," he complained. "You haven't answered my question yet. Who are you?"

"Why the hell should I say anything else?"

Lavi reasoned, "Probably because our orders are to figure out why a bunch of towns in this region are being attacked and solve it. Since this seems to be all about you, you are part of the solution and we won't leave you alone." He held out a hand. "I'm Lavi by the way."

She stuck her hands under her armpits. "Kisha. And I don't know why I'm being chased this time around. They just seem to do it whenever they find me."

"This time around?"

"It's complicated. And way too long of a story to tell."

"We've got time."

"No," She yelled at Lavi. "You may, but I don't. I'm leaving."

"What's the hurry?" he asked. "The Akuma are gone. You kinda destroyed them."

"So? that was the ones in town. I can't be sure more won't show up. So, I keep moving. I don't stop, I don't sleep. I keep walking."

Kanda rolled his eyes. "Just knock her out, Lavi and drag her with us."

Lavi took a step back, eyeing Kisha from her bare feet, stained pants and old T-shirt. "How long have you been on the road like this?"

"Not sleeping? six days. On the road? something like eight or so years now. I've lost track."

"Then come with us. You can have a place to stay, good food, rest, companions. You wouldn't be watching your back all the time. It's better than traveling every day, right?"

"Nope, not interested. You lot are annoying and I've had enough annoying for today. Bye."

"Wait, you keep saying you lot and stuff. have you met others? how do you know about us?"

She slowly counted on her fingers. "About... four years ago, I got 'adopted' per say by an exorcist. That was before I understood anything and couldn't fight. He taught me what I know about exorcists. I also learned to hate him. I think his name was Marian Cloth or somewhat."

"Marian Cross, you mean?"

"Yes, that's it. So, you know who I'm talking about?"

"Course we do," Kanda said. "He's an exorcist General. But no one likes him and he never goes back to central. Look, girl."

"Kisha."

"Whatever. Either you come along willingly or we have a very long drawn out battle to subdue you and take you back to headquarters by force. I'm in favor of using force at the moment."

"I'd like to see you try, just so I can do a better job of smashing your face in." She cracked her knuckles.

Lavi stepped between them. "Ah, Kisha? How bout this: you come with us to HQ, talk to our boss and then make up your mind. If you still think we're all annoying then you can still leave."

Kisha considered the idea and then nodded. "Fine. I'll talk to your boss if that'll get you out of my life."

 

Lavi shook her shoulder to wake her up. she blinked, bleary eyed and still in desperate need of sleep.

"We're almost there. Wake up."

"How... How long did I sleep?" Kisha fumbled for her backpack.

"Sixteen hours. You were out like a light. Really not kidding about that no sleeping thing huh?"

She slapped her cheeks. "Nope. Not kidding. That's better."

"Good, this way." He pointed to the open door before heading out it. He led her too an open panel in the train roof and climbed up.

She pulled herself onto the roof easily. "Whatever happened to using the front door?"

"This is how we do things," Kanda snapped. "Just get ready to jump."

"Jump?"

Kanda waited another moment and then jumped to the side of the train. Lavi grabbed Kisha's hand and followed suit. She let out a yell of surprise which turned into a grunt when she rolled across the cobblestones.

"Sorry it was so sudden," Lavi apologized. "You okay?"

"I've taken worse," Kisha admitted.

"Then shut up and follow us." Kisha fixed a glare on Kanda's back. She scrambled to her feet and jogged to keep up. After following the cobblestone lined street for awhile, They ducked into an arched tunnel that turned downwards to a river. A man with a rowboat was waiting there for them.

"How was the mission," the man in a white robe asked.

"A pain," was all Kanda would say before sitting. Lavi clapped a hand on Kisha's shoulder.

"We found an innocence user," He told the man.

"That's wonderful." Lavi and Kisha both sat down and the paddles hit the water. She looked up at the ceiling, counting the supports as they passed. Lavi and the rower struck up a light conversation on German alcohol to pass the time.

After what felt like a long time, the rowboat came to rest at another dock with a set of stairs leading up and away. They all climbed out and Kisha followed the two guys a few steps behind.

At the top, Kanda excused himself to go clean up, leaving Lavi to take Kisha to report in.

He opened a door and peered in. "Excuse me. Komui, we've returned."

The door was enthusiastically pulled the rest of the way open. "Lavi, wonderful to see you. And the innocence user you told me about?" Lavi stepped to the side.

"Kisha, this is Supervisor Komui."

Komui extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

Kisha ignored his hand. "Hi. You're in charge here?"

"Yes." He awkwardly pulled his hand back. "I hear you have trouble with Akuma chasing you. Would you like to sit?" He offered up the couch in his office.

"No thanks, I think I'd fall asleep if I sat down again. And yes, I sometimes get chased by Akuma."

"Ah. Sometimes? What does that mean?"

"It means that most of the time I don't have trouble with them. But other times we run into each other and I fight and sometimes they send out for backup, so I have to move on to lose them. That is what it means."

"I see. Would you mind telling me about yourself, like your type on innocence."

She rolled her eyes. "Actually I mind. I agreed to come here so that you guys would leave me alone. I'm not talking about my life to you or anyone else."

Komui gave Lavi a questing look which got a shrug in response. "Very well. Perhaps you would like some time to think?"

"A room so I can sleep some more?" The request confused Komui.

Lavi explained, "She was sleeping for the entire train ride. I expect the last week has been extremely tiresome for her."

"Then she can use one of the empty exorcist rooms to rest if she wants. Though, Kisha was it? Kisha, we do need more capable fighters. Life here would probably be better than living one on the road without a home."

"Can't really say," she said in reply. "I don't know what a home feels like. The road is all I know."

"Then perhaps this is your chance to learn what a home can be?"

"I'll think about it. Right now I need to crash."

Lavi waved for her to follow. "You're seriously the weirdest person I've met," he said.

"I am?"

"You're acquainted with General Cross, proficient at fighting akuma and completely used to it. can stay awake for a week and claim to have lived your life on the road? I've never met anyone like that before."

"It's not a simple claim. It's the truth."

"Then your parents were travelers?"

"Never had parents."

He started up the stairs. "Everyone has parents."

"Not me. The closest I have to a parent is the person who left me in China. I was a child then and I only spent five days with them. Then I was on my own."

"Ouch. They just abandoned you?"

"Not really. They left me at an orphanage, but Akuma destroyed the place soon after. Killed everyone. Everyone except me and I didn't understand why I survived." She shook her head of the sleep that started to return. "Ah, why am I even telling you this?"

He stopped and turned to her. "I think because you haven't had anyone to tell before."

"That's... Nonsense..." She slumped forward. Lavi jumped down to catch her before she fell.

"Geez, You are such a handful." He lifted her onto his back and continued up the stairs.

 

She dreamed of her first memory. Cloudy and the waves slapping the side of the boat, an arm holding her tight against that person's side. A light rain  soaked the wool cloak that person wore, wrapped around both of them. The person, a girl with a young face, but older eyes, stared out into the darkness around them, blurred by the one lamp the boat master carried.

It was a medium sized fishing boat, and the sailor a grumpy old man not keen on idle chatter. Two days they spent in that boat, she remembered. Two long, silent days of confusion. She knew nothing much. Only that this person was a friend and the sailor a friend of that person. She knew the place she'd left a bad place and that they were going somewhere better, but nothing more.

 

After waking up, Kisha washed up, brushing her hair out again. She found a neatly folded stack of clothes set just inside the door and changed into them.

"Excuse me?" A voice said to her as she leaned on the railing, looking down into the depths of the tower they were in. Kisha looked then at the chinese girl. "Are you Kisha, by any chance?"

"Ah," Kisha nodded, "Yes, that's me."

"I'm Linali, exorcist and assistant to the Supervisor." Kisha noticed that Linali was carrying a thick stack of papers and files. And then her stomach growled. Linali giggled. "And you're hungry. I'll show you to the cafeteria."

Kisha fell into step next to Linali. She said in Chinese, "I didn't think I'd see a Chinese here. Aren't we in London?"

Linali lit up. she responded in like. "We are, but this is the main branch. all exorcists work out of here. You are Chinese?"

Kisha shook her head. "No, but it is the first language I remember learning. I learned English later. How long have you been here?"

"Since I was a child. I'm compatible with the innocence, so they brought me here. Lavi says you have a sad past. Is that true?"

"Sad, is relative. It just is. I dunno what he told you, but Sad is just his thoughts on it, not mine."

 "He said you're an orphan and have been wandering since a young age."

"Orphan?"

"Yes, is that not right?"

"I just don't understand the word."

"It means you lost your parents."

Kisha watched two scientists rush past them. "More like I had no parents to start with. If I ever did, I don't remember. Where's this cafeteria?"

"Just down the hall. See the arches and light over there?" She pointed to a bright area with tall arches instead of walls. Kisha could smell rice. "Do you want me to come with?"

"No, I'll be fine." Kisha picked up her pace, leaving Linali behind. She walked into a bright room with a tall ceiling and a small cluster of people sitting at one table. Scanning the room, she found the wall covered by a different sort of design almost like a fence with a window in the middle of it. She went over and knocked on the side.

"Hello?" she asked to the air.

"Hello!" A dark skinned man answered back enthusiastically, making Kisha jump in surprise. "A new face? I'm Jerry, the head chef. What's your name?"

Taken aback by his chipper attitude, Kisha took a moment to settle her nerves. "I'm Kisha."

"A good name. Now, what would you like? I can make you anything you desire."

"Then," she queried, "can you make me Tangsooyuk with lots of rice?"

"Oooh, Asian tastes. Should have known. Tangsooyuk it is. Wait just a little bit."

As he retreated out of sight into the kitchen, Kisha turned and faced the tables. She could see now that the cluster of people all wore lab coats or white robes like the man in the rowboat. A couple of them glanced at her once or twice, but none of them took much interest in her.

When he returned he asked, "So where is it you come from. We don't have many from the Eastern countries here."

"China. I'm from China."

"Ah, enjoy your meal."

Kisha picked a corner of the cafeteria to sit and eat in. No one bothered her until she was almost finished when Komui sat down across from her.

"Feeling better?" He inquired carefully.

"I'm fine. What do you want?"

"I wanted to check up on you. And I'd like to know if you'll join the order?"

Kisha set down her utensils. "No," she said. "Staying in one place, I don't think I can do that."

"You'd be traveling quite a bit, really. Plenty of work for exorcists around the world."

"Even so..."

"Are you afraid of patterns?"

"What?"

He folded his hands together. "This is my theory. Because you've been traveling for so long and been attacked by Akuma along the way, you've developed a fear of habits and patterns. You don't want to be predictable."

She shrugged. "Maybe. It just feels too weird to settle down here. I can't do it. Okay, that's my answer. I'm not staying."

"Even though you have no money? How will you eat and find shelter and clothes?"

"I steal what I need and shelter where I can. That's just how I've been living. Why the heck are you being so persistent about this? And how the hell do you know I don't have money?"

"I'm persistent because the order needs people. Didn't General Cross tell you anything about us?"

"He explained what Akuma are and taught me how to fight and use my anti-akuma weapon. The innocence or whatever. he told me about the organization, but I ignored most of that."

"Hmm, then I will explain. We are a group that fights against the Akuma and their creator, the Millenium Earl. The innocence are pieces of a cube that is the bane of Akuma of course."

"You want me to go to sleep again?" She interrupted. "I know the gist of things. I just don't have a reason to help. I don't have anything to protect, nor do I want revenge for anything."

He stopped to consider her words, setting elbow on the table and chin in his hand. "Is there anything you want?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I think the best answer I can come up with is I want to know where I come from."

"You don't know?"

"My first memories are from when I was left in China. I know I was somewhere else before that, but there's nothing else. Nothing before then when I was a child. That was six years ago."

"So roughly ten or nine years old? you look about fifteen or sixteen."

"Yea. That's the best guess." she picked up her spoon and ate a little more.

"If you don't have anything you want to do, then why not stay here. You've never tried it, settling, have you? It's not so bad. I think you should give it a try."

One of the scientist guys came running into the room. "Supervisor, there's someone who climbed up on the outside. You should come take a look."

He nodded and left Kisha with, "Take a look around the place if you like."

Kisha found her way to another level after finishing her meal and sat at the rail to the center. There was what looked like an elevator nearby. She started thinking back to those first days again.

 

"Thank you for the ride, Xu," The person holding her hand said. She was a strange girl with hair a rich shade of violet and fair skin without wrinkles. Xu, the sailor that brought them across the water bowed low.

"It is my honor to serve," he said. "Give my regards to Anita for me."

"I will." Her grip tightened as she pulled. "Come, Kisha." The first time she heard her name, but she knew it was hers somehow. But this person who knew her, she could not remember a name, or perhaps she never knew the name. "We've a bit to go still."

After a moment, Kisha formed a question. "Where are we?"

"We're in China. Your new home."

"Home?"

"Yes, home." The girl's eyes too were a fascinating color of purple and they glittered with a hidden darkness of age. She wore a deep blue brocade dancing dress with the dark purple cloak over it, flapping as they walked in a bit of a breeze. A pair of white gloves covered her hands, forming a sort of barrier between the two of them as they walked.

Kisha's own clothes were far plainer than that person's.  A mild gray shirt and black pants and black shoes.

The person took her to a fancy building first.  They spent the night there and in the morning they left. Kisha remembered the lady that spoke with that person that morning.

"I wish you would come more often. It's nice to have the help," The lady said.

"And you know I can't do that. I'll be back once Kisha's settled into her new home," the girl responded as they clasped hands.

"You didn't say. What of the child? What are your plans?"

"She needs to grow up like a child should. I'll take her to an orphanage I know of. A quiet place where she can learn what life is about the way she should."

"Can't you do that? You could take her with you on your travels."

"Too dangerous. For me, for her. We're too different to stay together any longer. Even this has been too long. No, I can't raise her. Bye now."

They traveled that day and the next was when that person left her at the orphanage.

 

"Kisha?" She jumped out of her thoughts and stepped away from the railing. "Kisha!" A boy with white hair ran over and hugged her. Kisha grabbed his shoulders and peeled him off of her.

"Don't touch me, shrimp," she said. And then saw his face. "Allen?"

"Hehe. sorry, I forgot since it's been so long. What happened? You suddenly vanished and Master was looking for you. He thought you died at first. And when he didn't find a body, he got angry and-"

"I ran away. What are you doing here? Is Cross here too?"

Allen winced at some memory. "No, he told me I graduated as his pupil and sent me here on my own. I'm going to officially become an exorcist. Isn't that why you're here too?"

She opened her mouth to tell him obviously no, but the ever present Komui spoke up then. "You two know each other?"

Allen nodded. "She was already with Master when he picked me up. So, is she an exorcist here?"

"I'm not an exorcist, Allen," Kisha answered. "I'm just here by chance and I'm leaving today."

"Eh, why? I thought you would definitely become an exorcist."

She sighed. "You're as annoying as always. I just don't have a reason to stay."

"Then stay for me," he said. "If you're the same, you don't have anywhere else to go, right?" he took her silent consideration for confirmation. "It's better to be with people, Kisha. Even if you find it troublesome. And better to be with people you know than strangers every day."

"People are annoying," she stated, a phrase Allen was quite familiar with.

"That's the best part about people. C'mon, Kisha."

"If I say yes, will you shut up?"

"For now," he agreed. Komui smiled at this small victory.

"I'm glad that you will be staying," he said. "Join us then? All new members have to go through this particular process." He motioned with his hand to the elevator. After him, Kisha stepped on and went to the side as it started downward. Allen came to stand next to her.

"So anything exciting happen after you left?"

"I was in Germany two days ago, and now I'm here. That's the closest to exciting as I get."

Komui asked, "You don't consider the Akuma chasing you for a week to be exciting?"

"That's normal. Akuma aren't anything to worry over. They can't hurt me anyway."

Allen chuckled. "I remember the first time I saw you fight. Freaked me out cause I thought you'd die right off the bat."

"Then you are a parasitic type user?" Komui pondered uncertainly. "Pardon me, but I don't see what exactly is your innocence."

Kisha held up her hands with backs to him. "I am it. Or something like that. General Cross tried to figure it out himself, but he never did give me a definite answer. Akuma bullets have no effect and flesh wounds heal within a couple days at most. If I just touch an Akuma it dies."

He hummed to himself at that, scribbling something on his clipboard. The elevator floated to a halt where out on the other side of the blackness, lights fell on a row of people watching.

"Ah," Allen started, "I just noticed, Ki-" his words turned to a yell of alarm as what seemed to be white hands on tentacles reached around him and lifted him into the air. The form that revealed itself glowed softly in the darkness and mumbled in a faint voice the word 'innocence'.

"This is Hevlaska. She will determine your synchronization percent. It's important, Kisha, so don't give me that frown. Just cooperate."

Kisha turned and looked at the onlookers. They did not speak, only stood and watched what happened.

"It looks like eighty-three is your maximum synchronization with your weapon," Hevlaska said to Allen after a long moment and set him back on the platform. "I didn't mean to scare you." Allen steadied himself, looking up at her in slight confusion. Hevlaska turned her head a bit away from him. "There is another?" She asked quietly. Kisha pushed away from the rail moved closer. Hevlaska's hands wrapped around Kisha's body, lifting her into the air.

Unlike Allen, Kisha felt no fear. What she felt was a light feathery feeling as if her body weighed nothing. Something completely outside of her understanding. Hevlaska brought her forehead to hers and began whispering numbers.

"Twenty, thirty-three, fourty-nine, sixty-three, eighty-seven, ninety-five, ninety-nine." Hevlaska broke away after a pause. "ninety-nine maximum synchronization rate. I rarely see so high from new comers." Kisha sensed somehow an increase of interest from the strange form that held her. "Not quite one hundred, but still very close."

"Hevlaska," Komui interrupted, "Can you tell me what form her innocence has taken inside of her?"

Hevlaska put Kisha down on the elevator, though Kisha fell to her knees almost immediately because her legs gave out. Hevlaska responded, "Her body is the form. To be specific, the muscles are the innocence. That is the answer you asked for."

"Kisha?" Allen asked. "Are you okay?"

She nodded after a moment. "That felt weird."

He grinned sheepishly. "Yea, it did."

Komui smiled at the two of them and said, "Welcome to the Black Priesthood, both of you."


	2. Guinea Pigs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to try and understand Kisha's Innocence, Komui runs a few tests and a background check on her.

"Thank you for coming down here so promptly," Komui said to her the next day. It was an hour past breakfast and she stood in the fourth training room with him. She wore now the clothes provided as a mark of her position. "No boots?"

"Boots are unpractical for me, as are long pants and sleeves. Remember I need to make physical contact in my fights." She had rolled up both above knees and elbows respectively.

"I will have your clothes altered then," he decided aloud.

"What am I doing down here anyway?"

He waved broadly to the room. "I want you to fight. This is our biggest training room, so I figured it would work best. You'll be set with groups of drones that are weak to innocence. And me and a couple scientists will be studying you from another room where we can watch and analyze."

"Study? what do you mean by study me?"

Komui peered at her, perplexed. "I mean to study. Umm, gather data, information on your innocence I guess. Is that really so strange a concept to you?"

Kisha allowed, "Only in that I have not heard it used in such a way before. You want to watch me fight, correct?"

"Yes, I do." He called out, "Take, are you ready?"

"Affirmative, Supervisor. Everything is set up." Coming over a set of speakers in the wall, Kisha jumped into a defensive stance at the sudden voice coming from nowhere.

Komui's lips twitched at a smile. "Relax, Kisha. We'll be talking to you through those speakers in the wall. Nothing to be afraid of."

She straightened. "I was not expecting it."

"Well, Take will get you started after I've left this room. Good luck." He tucked his clipboard under his arm and walked out the door. Kisha moved out to the middle of the floor. She confirmed visually that she had plenty of space to move around in the cylindrical room three stories high.

Take spoke again over the speakers. "Alright, tell me when you're ready and I'll begin sending out the drones. We'll start simple without retaliation and work our way up from there."

"I'm ready whenever you are," She replied, rotating her shoulders. A panel on the wall in front of her opened and what she presumed to be a drone hovered out. It looked like an oversized humming bird: about the same size as her head. She watched it for a few seconds as it moved in a circle around her and gaining height.

She sprinted for the wall then, took two steps up it, bounced off and grabbed the drone on the way down, smashing it on the floor.

"Too easy," She said.

From his remote station, Take tapped the keys to send out to more drones into the room. Komui entered the room and stood for a moment behind him.

"Doesn't look like we're getting any readings from her innocence yet. Is it working?"

Take looked over his shoulder. "Everything is working fine. She just hasn't activated yet." He looked back to watch Kisha kick one drone into the other. "This is all human skill so far. And it makes sense with the report you sent to me."

"The background check I had?"

"Yea." He sent out another batch of drones. "She first shows up in Mainland China as an orphan. The orphanage was reported destroyed and next she's mentioned some where south of there a year later. We have sightings and records spotting her in various places in the time that she claims to have traveled with Cross, but after that only snippets getting closer and closer to Europe. No train tickets, no transactions of any kind, no records of lodging. She's just been wandering quite literally."

Komui spotted the folder and flipped it open. "No registered family in China. Just a connection with someone named Kashi. Isn't that a Japanese name?"

"It is," Take confirmed. "Actually it's a word and means defect or flaw. If that's a real name, someone had some mean parents. Otherwise I think it's a false name. Also, Kisha is Japanese as well, in case you were wondering."

"Not Chinese, eh?" Komui flipped a couple more pages. "Oh, I'm glad there's cross references here of Akuma attacks. Did you get a look at that yet?"

"I skimmed it. It lists about three dozen, so I didn't take a close look." Take pressed the intercom button. "How do you feel about attack drones now, Kisha?"

"I'm fine with that."

Take went back to his keyboard, altering command codes. "Anyway, my point being, that I would find it strange if Kisha didn't have a higher athletic strength. Though so far I'm finding her fighting style pretty standard. Each time she observes her enemy for one to three seconds and then takes them down in the shortest possible pattern."

Komui turned his attention to the camera monitor. "She seems to lack a certain amount of social information from how she interacts. It's probably just a side effect of being on her own a lot. She can't rely on anyone else to help so she ends the fight as quickly as possible. Hmm, still not using innocence.”

Take said into the mic, “Still too easy?”

“That is correct, Take. You can make it plenty harder.”

Take hit some buttons. “On the other hand, her logic skills are extraordinary. Oh, look.”

“A flare from her feet.”

“I would say she just boosted her speed for a quick kill. I’m going to double the difficulty.”

“Kisha is a very logical person. Too logical I think. But it isn’t bad to be logical. Might even be a good partner for Kanda.”

Kisha bounced off the ceiling and took out four drones on her way back down. Of the twelve she’d started with six remained. Two opened fire and she back flipped out of the way. She picked up the debris of the first downed and threw it at one drone. Her legs rippled like springs when she jumped and grabbed two others as they grew close and slammed them together. One of the three remaining drones fired on her midair. She let it strike her arm, spinning to throw a damaged drone like a bowling ball. The slice in her skin pulled itself together within moments of the destruction of the last two as she slammed one into the other into the wall.

“Would you look at that,” Take exhaled. “Near instant regeneration. I don’t think any of the others are like that.”

“Increase the difficulty,” Komui directed. “I want to see more.”

“With pleasure.” At his command, thirteen drones entered the arena and set up a more aggressive attack. Kisha reacted with ease. Komui stared with rabid interest at the screens.

“How are you feeling, Kisha?” Take asked after she annihilated that batch.

“The question, please rephrase it.”

“Are you tired?” He said, rolling his eyes.

Kisha rolled her shoulders. “It would take several times that amount and level to make me tired. Remember, I don’t have standard muscles. Me getting tired is what happens when my innocence reaches its limit.”

“There is such a thing as being mentally tired,” he responded.

She shrugged. “I am assuming you mean sleep deprivation. Please be reasonable. Why are you asking about my condition?”

Take replied, “I’m going to test your speed. Thirty seconds with constant stream of drones. Destroy as many as you can in that time frame. Best of luck to you.”

Kisha came to a stop in the middle of the floor and closed her eyes in a slow blink. “Activate,” she uttered. A hexagonal pattern flashed over her skin and her skin turned snow white. Her arms sprouted blades on her forearms and her knuckles became spiked. A spike sprouted out of her ankle in the back.

“Okay, she looks scary,” Take squeaked. “White skin does not look good on a Japanese girl.” He entered the command for the test to start. Drones began piling out into the room. Kisha waited a couple seconds before becoming a blur.

Take rattled, “Still taking them out in one hit even when moving at fifty meters a second. Energy flow is constant. She doesn’t waste a single movement. I’m getting the funny feeling that this perfect fighting style couldn’t possibly be a human one. It almost looks like a robot fighting.”

“She does have a very high synchronization.”

“That is most likely the big factor. Ten seconds left and thirty seven destroyed. Make that forty and counting. And she’s moving too fast for any of the drones to shoot her. Three. Two. One. And the test is over with fifty two destroyed drones.”

“Seems we’ll be needing to build more.” Komui hit the button for the intercom. “Good work, Kisha. You can rest now.”

Kisha’s physical alterations retracted back into her skin. Her white skin turned tan again. “Got the information you wanted, Supervisor?”

“I did. Your innocence is a fascinating type. Thank you for your time.”

Kisha spun on one foot and exited the training room.


	3. Witchwood

“Witchwood is a town known for its extensive library on archaic and exotic topics. Some very old topics. We have reason to believe that there is a piece of innocence hidden inside the basement because the library is rumored to be haunted. Several visitors have reported seeing the ghost of a long dead librarian.

“The town itself is nothing to sneeze at. The people living there don’t have much interest in the library. So, this mission is to be unnoticed. And expect trouble. We’re expecting the akuma to show up as well. Linali’s job is to find the innocence if it’s there. Your part is to make sure she isn’t disrupted and that the innocence does not get taken.”

Kisha directed her gaze up the spires of the library as they walked up to the main door. It was a modern replication of gothic architecture with the dark elegance surrounding it like a fog. The arch of the door was carved with roses twined about each other.

A cloud of dust rose when the oversized oak door closed behind them. Linali proceeded forward without hesitation past the desk clerk who only paused in reading his book long enough to register that they were there. Kisha followed her to where the main hall opened up and the ceiling stretched upward into the second and third level. There Kisha halted to look upward with interest.

“Never been in an old library before?” Linali had come back.

Kisha shook her head as she replied, “I hid in a Byzantine church once, but that doesn’t really count. Well, most libraries would turn me out without a second glance. Shall we?”

Linali nodded. She retraced her steps further into the library. Kisha paused in following for a moment when she heard a strange noise that refused to repeat itself. They passed one librarian with her hair done up in a bun who watched them pass.

"Psssh." Linali stopped and peered down the row. A finder waved for her to come closer. He stood halfway down the row as if he didn't want to be seen. "This way, exorcist."

Linali fast walked down the row. "Did you find anything?"

"Not really. Didn't have time before an akuma showed up to search. there's a door down this row and a bit on the left that will get you down into the basement without being obvious."

"Thank you umm."

"Dan," he offered. "No need for thanks. I'm just doing my part. And I should be going now."

"Course," she acknowledged and he exited past her and Kisha.

"Who is he?" Kisha asked once he was out of sight.

Linali gave her a funny look before something dawned in her head and nodded. "He's a finder. They work for the organization, but can't use Innocence, so they track down stuff and sometimes contain things until an Exorcist can arrive."

"A finder," Kisha whispered to herself, rolling the word over in her head before filing it away like the rest of her English vocabulary. She was more concerned about the damp dark of the stairwell Dan had directed them to. After all, it was the perfect place to lay ambush for a couple of unsuspecting girls. Luckily, nothing jumped at them the entire descent.

Linali stepped out from the stairs to the wide crypt corridor and waited, listening carefully. "I think we're good for now."

Kisha nodded after a moment, cautioning, "Even so, go softly." Linali glanced both ways and chose to go left first. Torches adorned the walls occasionally with shadows, showing they were not the first to wander down that day. Linali distinctly tried not to look at the rats they passed, hiding in niches along the walls below shelves of old scrolls and crumbling paper bound together with gray leather.

"What is the point of all this... space?" Kisha murmured barely audible. Her eyes flickered over the walls and shadows with no more than casual interest. Linali bent to check some shadowed lump on the floor and scurried away from it with a shudder. Kisha saw closer up that it was a half decomposed coyote. "What a waste," she glowered.

As Linali continued down the corridor, a shadow she passed rippled, coming alive and moving away from a well concealed doorway. The Akuma though barely had time to hiss more than a hungry curse before its face shattered under Kisha's fist. Linali jumped, ready to fight and stopped, stunned.

"That was fast," she squeaked. Kisha peered into the dark archway and stepped through without word. Kisha moved into the pitchblack room no more wary than she had been in the hallway. There was a gleeful cry from the darkness and a flash of fire right before a bullet struck Kisha in the abdomen. Her skin crackled, turning white as a spider web of black formed and faded. In an instant she was at the akuma's face as it turned to dust at her feet. The white of her skin returned to normal, only visible now as Linali crept in with a torch. the flame illuminated a ruined room of desks and chairs and empty shelves beyond repair.

"You find the object, I will deal with Akuma," Kisha said in a quiet voice as she turned back to the entrance. The hole in her new shirt left Linali staring, but she made no comment on it.

"You can try being less matter-of-fact about it," Linali quipped. "You sound like a soldier."

Kisha glanced back over her shoulder at Linali. "I sound like me, Linali."

"Girls our age don't act like you. You're cold as ice."

Kisha blinked, confused. A noise distracted her down the way they'd walked from the stairs. "Shall we split up then? If I make you uncomfortable?"

Linali shook her head. "We could get lost down here. No need for that. Let's just continue." She trotted off down the stone corridor. Kisha eyed the path behind them as she followed. Nothing moved that she could see.

The corridor made a sharp right turn and after another twenty feet opened into a large chamber full of Akuma. Those facing the opening yelled warning and opened fire on the two girls. With a challenging yell, Kisha activated her Innocence and moved in front of Linali. The barrage made little impact other than creating momentary black cracks in her salt white skin. Linali activated her dark boots and sped around Kisha in a break in bullets. Charging forward, Kisha tackled the three right in front of her, spiked knuckles breaking one face and the other hand slamming the other two together with the momentum. The very force of her run caused the third Akuma to shatter. She could see Linali dodging and kicking in the corner of her vision.

Of the dozen Akuma four more faced her on one side and another two on the other. She faced the four and shot backward between them. The blades on her arms sliced gashes into their skin. They yelled in pain, turning to follow her only to get smashed in the face as she rushed back.

Linali looked over as she ended her side of the fight to see Kisha bashing at the last four. Movement drew her eyes to the corridor behind them. "Kisha, behind you!"

Kisha turned, eyed the humanoid shaped Akuma, and tossed the closest ball shaped one at it. "Find the Innocence. I'll deal with this," she said, in a voice that sounded like vibrating crystals. Kisha planted a fist in the body of the second to last Akuma next to her.

"Takuji," the humanoid trilled stretching out a hand. Thick gray spikes shot from his fingers at her. Bringing up her hand she moved to knock away the spikes. At the last moment, the spikes altered paths, suddenly elongating to arc around her and meeting in a point in front and behind her. Then the bars sprouted, weaving a cage. Kisha slammed a hand against the bars, shattering the spot, but the bars grew back just as fast. The Akuma stroked a hand along the bars. "I will be rewarded greatly for your capture."

Kisha struck out, putting her hand out of the cage and grabbed hold of the Akuma. He flinched in surprise and then his face contorted into writhing pain. He crumbled with a gurgling scream, but his cage remained.

"Kisha, you okay in there?" she heard Linali ask.

Voice still like crystals ringing, Kisha answered, "Yea, Plug your ears out there."

"What?"

"Do it or lose your eardrums," Kisha growled. She heard Linali yelp agreement. Opening her mouth, Kisha let out a noise quite like a scream yet too high pitched to be human. The cage vibrated as it came apart like shattering glass. Linali stared at her wide eyed, hands over her ears.

"What the hell was that?"

"One of the things I can do." Kisha glanced around and saw everything dealt with. With a grimace, her white skin faded away. A few thin scratches remained on her arm for only a few moments longer. "Did you find it?"

Linali shook her head. "I think it's in this room, but if it were in the open, those Akuma would have found it."

"Then find it. That is what you're here for isn't it?" Frowning, Linali spun on one foot and sniffed indignantly. Kisha missed the emotional outburst, turning again to the open wall. "There might be more of them on the way."

After a long quiet of Linali rummaging around the place and tapping on walls, she suddenly inquired, "What was that he called you?"

"Who?" Kisha barely gave Linali more attention than what was needed to say the word.

"The level two Akuma. He called you Tijuki?"

Kisha whirled. "Why the heck do you call it a he?"

Linali shrugged. "Habit. So what did he call you?"

"Takuji. I don't know what it means, only that it seems to be what they've named me. I've heard it occasionally."

"It's not Chinese. Korean?"

"It's possible," Kisha allowed, eyes blank again. "Are you actually looking?"

Linali stopped to tap on yet another part of the wall and paused. "This sounds hollow. Can you break things besides Akuma?"

Kisha strode across the room and simply put her fist through the wall. Her skin flickered with white and black streaks as she pulled it  back out, drawing with it a thick but dusty leather bound book. She pushed it at Linali and strode away. Linali stared from the book in her hands to Kisha with a silent unnoticed query. Pushing her worries away, she pried open the yellow pages. As she did so, the book fell apart, leaving the shining form of the Innocence behind.

"Got it!" she shouted happily. Kisha glanced at the chinese girl and shrugged, waving a hand for her to follow.


	4. Despair and Fear

"Sir, There is news." One fat man with a tall top hat and a permanent evil grin turned to the slimmer man in the shadows.

"Tell, me, Tyki. What is the news?" The fat man twirled a cane in the air lazily.

"Takuji has been spotted again."

"Oh, good. I was worried after she disappeared so quickly. Where is she this time?"

"In the Exorcist ranks. Seems she has found a place of refuge at long last." Tyki's voice was far from sympathetic, it was mocking.

"Ooo, Now that I did not expect with her personality. Or lack of personality I should say. Send a troupe to ambush her on her next mission. And remember to emphasize caution and alive in the orders. It's fun to chase her around the world, but it has been far too long."

"With pleasure," the slim man oozed with sadistic joy.

 

Kisha jumped back from the spray of energy. Allen turned to follow her movement, his new weapon still firing. She jumped forward. He jerked back. His hand became a claw once again as he slashed. Kisha seemed to vanish even as she jumped over his attack to kick him in the face. Allen staggered backward.

"You've gotten better," he croaked past the broken nose. She planted her hands on her hips.

"So have you. It is good to have a ranged weapon as well as melee."

"It's still nothing compared to your flawless martial arts. Emotionless as ever."

She blinked slowly. "Emotion clouds judgment. That is why I win. Because I do not surrender to whatever emotions you do."

Allen shook his head silently. Then he saw Kanda scowling at them and met his eyes. Kisha turned a moment later and gave Kanda a simple studious gaze that she gave just about everyone in the building except Allen.

"Supervisor Komui wants to talk to us three in his office," Kanda reported. He sounded like he was swallowing something nasty.

"We're coming," Kisha told him. She retrieved the vest jacket she had discarded before training and slid it on as she walked to the door. Allen grunted as he grabbed his own jacket from the crumpled pile it formed on the floor.

"You've stayed quite a lot longer than I thought you would," Kanda mused. "I thought you didn't like our type?"

"I don't. Linali is annoying, Lavi is far too energetic for his own good and Komui keeps prodding me into more of his study sessions as if he might learn more about my particular Innocence. I was already thinking about leaving."

"I see." He smirked.

"You're leaving?" Allen asked, astounded.

"Most likely. You know I don't like staying in one place too long." The white haired boy frowned sadly, but he went quiet for the remaining walk.

Kumoi's desk was piled high with papers as usual, including part of the floor this time. When they entered his office, he was bent over a paper, scribbling furiously. Kisha walked around to one side and sat down on the couch. Kanda and Allen both stopped and stood together just inside the doorway, scowling at each other.

"Sit down or remain standing," Komui advised, "but enough scowling at each other." He waited as Kanda sneered and took a spot on the couch. "Now, the mission I'm giving you three is simple. Get rid of the Akuma infesting a town in Spain. The finder who reported it said that the town might as well be completely overrun. There were a lot of suspicious missing persons and deaths which is why he was in the town to start."

"Are we sure it's Akuma?" Kisha asked. "There could be a lot of other reasons for missing people and deaths."

"Unfortunately, the finder who reported it has dropped off the grid. We are unable to confirm his findings." Komui waved away the question with a hand. "Doesn't matter. Go to Mia Alma, confirm the report and take out any Akuma you find. The train you want to catch departs in a few hours, so don't dawdle too much."

The two boys both bowed their heads in agreement. Kisha shrugged to her feet and preceded them out the door.

"It'll be like old times, eh?" Allen caught up to her on the stairs.

"With Kanda along," Kisha said.

"Well, yes." Allen flexed his hand. "I was just saying we haven't gone after Akuma together ever since you ran away from Master. Not that I blame you."

"Yes, that will be returning to the past."

"The word is nostalgia," he suggested.

She rolled the word around on her tongue. "An interesting word."

The boat ride passed in silence. They climbed out of the small rowboat and began walking the stone lined street to the bridge they always used to jump the train. Evening lined the horizon in orange and red.

Of the very few people on the street, mostly people in work uniforms rushing home, one stopped, standing sideways in the middle. Allen stared at the man wearing a worn out red jacket as he turned and grinned in their direction.

"Akuma!" Allen yelled, sprinting forward. His arm became a claw, swallowing the man. Kisha blinked and scanned the rest of the dwindling crowd, some of which were now running away as fast as they could. A couple of those not running stopped and shed the human skin. Kanda drew his sword, yet even before he moved to engage, Kisha found herself suddenly dragged forward and down. She squirmed, discovering it was a woven metal net that trapped her arms close to her body. Two humanoid Akuma dragged her along, enclosing the net about her even as they moved. Trying to kick one of them only tangled her leg up in the wires. Scowling, she tore at the netting with her fingers. The steel strained at first, stretching and bending under the pressure before breaking while leaving bloody lines on her skin that healed in the next second.

Lashing out with one free arm, she snapped a bony looking arm. Yelping in surprise as his arm began to crumble, the Akuma dropped his side of the net. This time it was her turn to yelp as the net unfolded from around her torso and she nearly tumbled through the air. So focused on escape, she had not seen that they traveled over the rooftops now instead of the street. The second Akuma snarled, stopped to try and gather the edge of the net again. Kisha grabbed his reaching hand and yanked upward. With her other hand, she punched him on the nose. He cursed, and she punched him a second time. This time he cracked and completely let go of the net, sending her rolling from the slanted roof to the street two stories down.

Kisha staggered to her feet. A sensation of pain made her look at her shoulder. Something was wrong with it, but that made no sense.

There was a roar. Kisha glanced upward and jumped to the side as the Akuma came crashing down to the ground. With a pained snarl, Kisha activated her Innocence and lunged, ripping the Akuma's skinny neck open. That did the trick to kill it. And then the pain in her shoulder flared even stronger.

"Kisha?" Allen called from the roof. Clutching her shoulder, Kisha turned back to normal and back stepped to the wall. A short moment later both he and Kanda were there on the street. Allen asked, "Are you alright?"

"My shoulder," she cringed. "Something is wrong." Kanda eyed her. Allen looked at her, puzzled.

"Don't you regenerate instantly?" he queried.

She nodded. "I do, but it's," she trailed off for a moment, searching. "It can't heal right."

"The bone is broken or dislocated," Kanda suddenly suggested. He glared at their shocked looks. "Your muscles are made of Innocence right? Well, then your bones are normal. Don't stare at me like that."

"I'm just wondering what dislocated means," Kisha admitted, making him give her a shocked stare.

"It means the joint is out of place. How in the world do you not know that?"

She shrugged and immediately regretted it. "There's a lot of words I don't come across often. So that's what I was feeling. Activate." After transforming, she glared best she could at the offending shoulder and as they watched, the muscles there bulged. There was a grinding crunch and a muffled whine from her. Then she turned human again.

"That was," Kanda said carefully, "disturbing."

Her eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything, only began walking to the corner of the building. "You get all the Akuma?"

"Those that we could see," Allen answered. "There weren't many, but most of them were level twos. I wonder what they were doing so close to headquarters."

Kisha stared ahead as she walked, unaware of Kanda's piercing scowled focused on her back.

 

She blinked. The sun hung in the sky just shy of midday, yet the shadows of the two and three story apartments made the alleyway seem as dark as night somehow. A form wriggled in the grip of her hand somewhere on the edge of her awareness, hardly close to the center of attention.

She blinked again. The shadows seemed less now, though how much time had passed she could not tell. Nothing squirming her clenched fist anymore. Startled, she blinked several times at what she had been so focused on. Allen, a crumbled heap at the other end of the back alley, was no longer alone as Kanda knelt next to him, talking.

Somehow that broke the shocked trance that had gripped Kisha so completely. Some emotion beyond anger churned in her mind, flooding everything else from entering. She lifted a foot and moved back and again until her back hit the cinderblock wall. Slowly, at a snail's pace, her thoughts turned from Allen to the fight that had brought the entire town to boiling and her part in it. Her knees gave out and she crashed down to the ground. She could hear some noise that made Kanda look her direction.

They'd arrived at Mia Alma in due time, even made the train after the surprise scuffle in London. There was of course no sign of the finder anywhere around the station. That was around ten in the morning.

Mia Alma had a traditional appearance with buildings kept in the look of what might have been the 1800's or even earlier. The only modern buildings were a few of the diners and one decent sized hotel close to the train station. of course all the people spoke Spanish, but they had no time to really worry over the language difference.

Kisha realized the whining noise she was hearing was her own voice as she endlessly muttered, "I am sorry," in Chinese. Somehow the lack of tears trailing down her face seemed even more a shock than realizing she was shaking. Why she might have expected tears, she could not have said right then, but there wasn't much she could have done in that moment. Kanda was walking over. Running over to be exact.

Every person they saw after stepping off the train looked haggard or scared, eyeing everyone and everything twice. Even the big men who looked as if they had nothing to be scared of. Those gave off the most suspicious airs of all. Allen muttered about bleak outlooks and moods. He commented on a lot of things then, before his cursed eye spotted the Akuma in the streets. Then he froze up because it was full day with plenty of people in the street, interacting. Kanda was less inclined to fuss, dispatching the chatting demon with calm centered ease even as the merchant stared and began to babble about murderers. Course, the merchant clammed up after one good sobering glare.

Kisha couldn't hear what Kanda said to her when he ran over. She jerked away when he gripped her arm, suddenly back in the present and still trying to put together what had happened. Her thoughts scrambled aimlessly.

"He'll be alright," Kanda said. This time she heard his words. Then she noticed she'd stopped muttering in Chinese. "But we're not done yet. I passed up several Akuma on the way over. Though I don't get why they're keeping distant."

"It's me," she whispered in that crystal voice. "I'm the reason."

"Figures," he grumbled, fixating her with a wary look. "That scream of yours hurt my ears a mile away."

"A mile?"

"Probably less. Can you get up at least? Like I said, the fight isn't over."

Kisha stared at him. He scowled back and wrapped his hand around her arm again.

"What is wrong with you, Kisha? Get that logical brain of yours back in the game already."

Her hand flew before she thought about it, so her stare only grew stronger when she felt her fist hit his jaw. "Shut up," she gasped. He fell back on his rump and rubbed one hand on his jaw. "You take care of Allen. I'll take care of the Akuma." Kisha climbed to her feet, suddenly far more coherent and angry than she'd been before. She jumped to the roof and shot off for the tallest point in the town: the church steeple.

Worry and confusion gnawed at the back of her thoughts over what had just come over her. Kisha climbed to the bell tower and crouched there. the town of Mia Alma spread out under her eyes. "Activate." as her skin turned to white, she stood up and dropped off the edge. Propelling off the bricks, she shot across the sky and dropped down on a residential roof, crushing the tiles and one foot sinking through the wood underneath. She yanked her foot free and jumped two more houses, landing right in the middle of a threesome. The three level one akuma glided away from her. She grinned madness.

"Come and get me if you dare, scum."

Kisha flitted about the rooftops, drawing the akuma after her until she had the remaining hundred around her. Then she shot upward and crashed down on one in that hundred. She bounced to the next, moving as fast as she dared, and on to the next. A foot in the face and then a fist to tear at the seams, leading to a knee kick and an axe kick on down the line. She kept moving, else she knew one of the level two akuma would catch her and the fight would get that much harder. For that long moment, with the adrenaline pumping through, she felt normal again without all the broiled emotions she wasn't used to: just angry and hungry. It was like any other day on the road with nowhere to go, nowhere to be and plenty of demons to kill.

All too soon for her, the last Akuma died in a cloud of poison dust as she barreled feet first through it. In the sudden silence and stillness, Kisha felt the adrenaline draining from her system. And then her previous sensation of mortification came back to the front, an image of Allen like a crumpled bag clear in her mind.

Kisha wandered through the now empty streets in a state of shock, heading back to Allen and Kanda out of instinct more than thought. The torn off wreck of a weather vane stained by blood lay discarded in the path about the tumble bout of plaster chunks. Kanda looked up at her still in her activated state.

"Done already?"

Kisha didn't answer, staring sadly at Allen.

"I told you he will be fine. Since when are you so emotional about someone?"

Kisha clenched a fist. "I have never hurt another person before. I kill Akuma plenty, but people. This feeling, it is new. And all I can say is I am sorry."

Kanda shook his head. "You are over thinking this, Kisha. You mind aiding with your super strength? I do not fancy carrying the bean sprout to the train station. A couple finders are on route from a nearby town."

She nodded mechanically. She stepped over the rubble and slid her arms under Allen's torso and legs. Kisha followed Kanda back to the train station without really paying attention to anything. She placed Allen on one of the wide wooden benches at the station and crouched beside it with her arms crossed over her knees.

Kanda remained aloof of conversation, gesturing the pair of finders that arrived on the next train over so that they could look over Allen. When next he looked to Kisha, at the moment the finders were loading Allen onto the train, he found her gone.


	5. Fight on the Mountain

"What do you mean, she's just gone?" Allen's voice cracked as he yelled at Komui, hands slamming into the cluttered desk. With expedient treatment, his wounds taken from a chance shot had all but healed in the past couple days since their return. Stitches and bandaging kept his blood from spurting out.

Komui tapped his fingers on the wood desktop. "I mean, we have had no contact with her, and even the finders have seen no trace. Kisha is skilled at not being detected, Allen. You of all people should know that."

"But she was getting better, being here. I don't get why she would just vanish like that without saying good bye again."

"My understanding is the reason is you." Allen's head jerked. "Kanda's report mentioned she became rather out of sorts after accidentally spearing you with a weather vane. My guess, she was more attached to you than anyone thought. Including herself. Don't worry, we are still searching and she is bound to show up again."

Allen drooped a bit, eyes falling closed. "I wasn't sure. I remember her being there before I lost consciousness, but."

"Do get some rest, Allen. Your services will be needed again soon enough." Allen walked out of the room after taking a deep breath and sighing heavily. Komui grimaced once the door had closed him off from the world again. He regretted very deeply being unable to hang onto Kisha. Kanda Yuu's report proved just how capable she truly was in being able to deal with the majority of the akuma on her own in a short amount of time.

The phone rang. Komui glared at it. It rang a second time and he picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Supervisor Komui."

"Hey, I bet you're looking for me."

Komui sat up in his chair. "Kisha, I was just talking about you with Allen."

There was a strangled noise on the other end. "Is he alright?"

"Distraught over your disappearance. Otherwise, in near perfect health. Are you okay?"

"That's good to hear. I mean, that he is doing okay. I couldn't stay any longer."

"Can you tell me where you are? I can have someone go and get you."

"No! I mean, no, please. Kanda told you about the attack outside headquarters, I assume?"

"Both him and Allen. They said there were as many as a half dozen Akuma in the streets. Does this have to do with that?" Komui scribbled a quick note and pressed a buzzer on his desk that rang outside the door.

"I've been fighting these things for so long, they call me something. Takuji. I don't know what it means, but I've heard a few times."

The door opened and a scientist opened the door. Before a word could be spoken, Komui held up the note and shooed the man out. "Linali mentioned it came up at the library. What about it?"

"Half the time, the Akuma just try to kill me. That's when I come upon them by accident. But the rest of the time, it's purposeful, like a couple days ago. Like they've been instructed to bring me to their maker alive. I can not have you put any exorcists in that kind of danger. You need them. I know how to hide and survive."

"You don't think you might need help?"

"I am not safe at the headquarters. I have an easier time on my own. Look, I have to go. I will call again some other time. Just tell Allen I am fine."

"Kisha, please, we can-" Komui let his plea trail off as he heard the line cut off. Stuffing a groan away, he pushed up and left the office. He went to the communications room and gave the two men in labcoats a very severe glare.

"The call came in from a payphone at a train station in Madrid," one of them told him. "Sam is on the phone with that very station at the moment."

The one named Sam wrote something on his paper, nodding to himself and then gave a thanks before hanging up the phone. "I got a list of trains departing from the station within the rest of the day. Including a train headed to the western border of France that leaves within the minute."

"France," Komui mused. "And west, not north. I wonder where she's going."

 

Kisha stepped out of her cabin as the train rolled away from a station in Satu Mare in Romania. One of the many security personnel nodded to her in passing as she strolled her way towards the middle of the train. Outside, the city quickly turned to rolling farmland and trees. Making her way to the diner car, A tall, lanky man with wavy black hair fell into step behind her. She glanced back at him and he nodded amiably to her.

In accordance with the time of day, A late lunch was being served in the dining car. Kisha took a seat and shortly after ordered a meal.

"Mind if I sit here?" The lanky man from earlier stood next to her booth. He wore a pair of thick spectacles and his clothes spoke of a simple life. Kisha nodded lazily. he slid into the seat across from her. "I've never met someone with purple eyes before. Is it genetic?"

She frowned at him. "Do you want something?"

"I only asked a harmless question. Sorry, my name is Tyki."

"Kisha."

"That's a pretty name. Is that Korean?"

Kisha shrugged. "Maybe. Look, if you want to chatter, go bother some other girl."

Tyki resettled his glasses and grinned. "They didn't say you'd be so hard to talk up."

"Who is they?"

"Your friends. Exorcist folks. I imagine you and they didn't get along that well. Which would explain the sudden departure."

Kisha removed her hands from the table, clasping them in her lap. "So, the order sent you to fetch me back?"

"Didn't expect it?"

"What I didn't expect is to be found. Sorry to disappoint, but I am not returning to the order."

Tyki paused as the waiter came back with a sandwich for Kisha. "Maybe if you had returned to walking everywhere, we would not have found you, but taking a train is a bit obvious."

"Thanks for the update. Still not going anywhere with you." Kisha picked up her sandwich and took a bite.

His smile dimmed a bit and he started drumming his fingers on the table. "Are you even aware of the danger you're in? Granted, you've been on the run I understand since you were very little, but even so. I'd have expected you to actually accept the order's help in order to survive. Isn't being on your own the more dangerous of the option?"

Kisha wiped mustard sauce from her mouth. "You must be unaware then of the exact risks I face. The Akuma I can handle. It's the person directing them I worry about. He obviously has his own designs for me, else I'd be dead already. Hey, I'd like to eat now, so go away already."

He stood and bowed smoothly. "Very well, but I will be around in case you change your mind."

Kisha quickly set Tyki out of her mind, finishing her lunch and returning to her cabin without much lagging. She had no luggage to worry about, so settled onto the bench and shut her eyes.

"Aow!" Kisha groaned as she slammed back first into the door, held up by one hand. A dark skinned face with black stigmata across his forehead.

"I will admit you are a difficult person to track down," He said. "I enjoyed the chase while it lasted."

"Enjoy this," she retorted with a snappy kick to his gut. His confident smirk vanished with a grunt as he was forced backward. Released, Kisha dropped back to the ground as pain flared in her foot as if it were on fire. Clutching the pained appendage, she hopped a bit to keep balance.

"Okay, that wasn't mentioned," he muttered. Tyki reached out and touched Kisha's face. She screamed as the sensation of her cheek burning and tearing apart spread. She jerked back and bumped against the door again. His amber eyes glittered with a sadistic curiosity. "How interesting. You entire body is made of Innocence? Now I want to know why the earl wants you alive too."

"Activate." Kisha pushed off the door with enough speed to put a dent in it as she tackled Tyki out the window. Crashing through the trees hurt far less than the pain in her foot and cheek. She jumped away from him before hitting the ground and ran. The trees marked the area still wild and barely touched by man, covering the ground that ran up to the mountains to the north. Kisha dashed in that direction, meaning to get as far from Tyki as she could. The pain in her foot was slowly dying, and though still strong, her cheek felt far less aflame than when he had touched her.

Butterflies dark as night and royal purple fluttered in the air. Kisha ignored them as she crashed through the trees. One got close enough to take a bit out of her arm. She slapped it away, alarmed at the teeth marks in her otherwise impervious white skin.

"You can't run forever!" Tyki belted through the leaves that blocked his sight of her. She bolted on, now careful to knock the butterflies away each time they came close.

Kisha turned at the noise of footsteps on the rocks behind her. The rocky slope fell away into the mist of the early morning. Tyki stopped, balanced on a spot where he could see her. He watched her stiffen and activate her Innocence.

Tyki smirked. "Done running? I wonder if the thin air is getting to your head."

"I could run away from you all the way to Tibet," Kisha sneered in her crystal voice. Tyki winced, putting a finger in his ear. "I could run anytime I come across one of the Akuma. However, that is boring and pointless as Kanda would put it."

"Is that thing with the voice on purpose?"

"Bothered?" her voice rang like chimes as she raised her volume. She grinned as he raised his hands to his ears. Kisha jumped forward and slid into the outcropping of rock he stood on. The stone split and crumbled, sending him sliding into her reach. Kisha gripped the fabric of his shirt and threw him as hard as possible up the mountain slope. Tyki spun himself around to put his feet on the rocks. Next moment she was even higher than him, striking the sheer wall with both feet, shredding the surface and raining shards down on him.

The rock splinters passed through Tyki as if he were a ghost, making no impact until they began bouncing down the mountainside. "I see. A body as flexible as flesh, yet harder than the rocks. This is your perfect location."

Kisha anchored herself to the wall with one hand and looked down on Tyki. "Having fun yet?"

With a wince he said, "Quite." He sprang up to her level. Kisha used her anchoring hand to fly even further upward to where the steep slope evened out more. Tyki followed only a bit slower. There she was ready for him, lifting a slab of rock upward and then breaking it to pieces with several high speed punches. He smirked as the rock bits passed by harmlessly. Then Kisha hit him head on with the spikes on her knuckles. Even as her hand began to melt as if eaten by acid, he tumbled back down the mountainside. Kisha moved away from the edge, hissing at the pain.

"Now that wasn't nice." Kisha felt herself get thrown even further from the edge. Tyki stood there, a few puncture holes in his face and only slightly bruised from his fall moments before. "How long do you have to keep this up before you learn?"

Kisha looked from her hand, a mottled black and white on her knuckles, to Tyki and opened her mouth wide. The noise she made echoed off the mountain and made the air vibrate. Tyki clapped his hands to his ears as his knees buckled, eyes bulging. Blood began to seep out from between his fingers.

The vibrations in the air moved to the rocks. The mountain under them cracked and splintered. Both Tyki and Kisha fell. She lost sight of him in the fall after one of the larger chunks struck her back. Losing control of the descent, Kisha began to bounce and roll with the landslide. Then the world went black.


	6. Asian Branch

"There's nothing here," Tina muttered a shy too loud. Next to her Sol winced. Klaud Nine whirled, her face far from happy.

"We keep looking," Klaud insisted. "Or does any of this mess scream natural to you? All the signs point to this place."

Tina would not look at Klaud, but folded her arms. "Just because there was a fight, doesn't mean anyone is still here. It has been a week already. Anyone even under all this would be dead by now if not crushed."

"I remind you that the data says otherwise. I'd imagine a body made of Innocence hard to simply crush without significant effort. A landslide hardly counts. Maybe the entire mountain."

From further up the pile of crushed trees, boulders and stones, Gwen called out. They looked up to see her waving arms for attention.

Sol suggested, "Shall we go see what shiny object she spotted this time?"

Tina giggled. "Maybe some pretty rocks got knocked lose too."

Klaud smiled at the joke, but refrained from joining in. She was hardly in the mood to properly enjoy it after all. Being sent on a goose chase by Komui had put a sour film on her thoughts for the last couple weeks.

"What is it Gwen?" she asked as nicely as she could manage.

Gwen gestured to the half covered ravine in front of them. "See how the largest boulders have wedged themselves over this crack? I was going to go down and see if there was anything under them when I saw it. Look, there." Gwen moved so they could see. "It looks like a white rock at a glance doesn't it?" Tina ducked behind Klaud to get a good look down into the ravine.

"Looks like a hand. Did someone put a statue on the mountain?" she asked.

Klaud nodded to Sol. "Go down and see."

"Activate," he growled, the chain link bracelets on his wrists glowed and enxtended. He jumped down, using the chains to swing down safely. He moving what rocks he could. The girls waited patiently until they heard his panicked shout. "It's a person! A real person." Tina sprang down to help him dig out buried person.

During all this, Kisha was painfully aware of everything. She couldn't move, not even heal much beyond surface scratches. Luckily, as she found out, she had no need for food, water, nor air in her activated state. But remaining activated required being awake and she could feel the limit coming.

When the dust began to shift on her skin, she tried to move and found herself too weak to do more than twitch. Then the weight lifted and light hit her eyelids.

Sol started at seeing Kisha's eyelids flutter a fraction. "Oh, god. She's still alive."

"Seriously," Tina wondered aloud, "that is crazy."

"Just get her out of there." Tina heaved on a particularly heavy rock pinning Kisha's legs, now wearing a pair of long black and white gloves. Sol pulled on Kisha's shoulders. He started again as a strange ringing moan bubbled up from her.

Tina murmured, "That is so cool. Her skin. Look at this."

"I am looking. I can hardly not look. Fascinate later." Sol bundled Kisha halfway into his arms, using one chain to hold her steady and shot the other at the top of the ravine.

"Don't forget to send a chain down for me," Tina reminded him as he began to reel upward.

"How is she," Klaud inquired when Sol reached the top and laid Kisha out on the ground.

"Weak, I think. But alive." Sol sent a chain down for Tina to climb up. Klaud bent and checked Kisha's pulse. Kisha struggled to open her eyes and lifted one hand. Everything hurt and more than that, she could feel herself slipping back. In the end, her hand fell back after only moving a few inches and she slipped into unconsciousness again. Klaud and her associates all watched as the transformation back to a normal human took place.

"That is the most amazing form of Innocence I have ever seen," Gwen whispered.

Klaud thought fast. "She needs treatment. And soon. Gwen, can you get into contact with the Asian Branch Headquarters. Have them send a team to meet us halfway. Sol, you're in charge of carrying her. C'mon, let's get moving."

 

White light and flashing red filled her vision as she opened her eyes after what felt like only a moment later. She could feel herself breathing normally again. Groaning, Kisha pushed up and swung her legs off the bed. She remembered the voices and blurred faces and the fight.

The stone floor was cool under her feet. The door opened to a large corridor, split across the middle by an opening looking to the floors below and above. Kisha leaned over the railing for a better look, trying to remember how she got there.

She heard the noise of a yawn behind her. A boy, barely old enough to be called an adult stood up from where he'd been sitting next to the door. "You're awake. That's gooah!" Kisha grabbed him by his tie and held him out over the railing. He seized onto her arm. "Ah, please, don't drop me."

"Who are you and where am I?"

"Please don't drop me. My name's Rikei. You're at the Black order's Asian Branch. Please?"

Kisha blinked. "Asian Branch?"

He nodded hurridly. "Yes, that's right. Please, I'm too young to die."

She yanked him upright, keeping a firm hold on his tie. "If you're lying to me."

"Oh, seriously. The first thing you do after wake up is threaten the help?" Kisha turned and squinted at the woman standing there with a basket of food. The woman wore tight fitting black trimmed in gold of an exorcist's uniform. Kisha wondered where she knew the voice from. "Would you let go of the kid already? You've already given him a good scare."

"You. You were one of the ones from earlier?" Kisha asked, releasing Rikei from her grasp.

"You remember that? I remember you were barely conscious. Hungry?" The woman heft the basket in her hand. Kisha's stomach rumbled.

"Yes, I am." Kisha held out her hand. Klaud raised her eyebrows, but kept the basket in hand.

"You could stand to learn some manners," Klaud said and directed a pointed look at Rikei. "Go tell Bak his guest is awake." She walked into the room Kisha had just left. Rikei scrambled to get away from there as fast as he could. Scowling at nothing in particular, Kisha followed the food basket back into the room. Having sat on the end of the bed with the basket next to her, Klaud motioned for Kisha to do the same. Kisha sat down and reached into the basket, tearing into a loaf of bread.

"That hungry?" Klaud mused. "Well, I suppose being buried alive for a week can do that. But in the future, you could try more polite ways to handle strangers."

"It was necessary," Kisha muttered past a mouthful of bread. She put down the loaf to grab a couple sausages.

"It is hardly necessary to suspend a scientist over a railing unless they're being particularly stubborn. Even one as young as Rikei isn't worth sneezing over."

"It was necessary to me," Kisha emphasized.

"What on earth makes you think that?"

Kisha stopped chewing on her sausage to look again at Klaude. "A human that wasn't quite human attacked me. I had to check."

Klaud shook her head. "I have to wonder how on earth you were raised to think that way. Look, you are safe here. Komui sent me to find you and make sure you were safe. Everyone here is part of the Order."

"Is that so." Kisha continued eating her meal, adding grapes to what she was eating after the sausage.

Someone new entered the room. He commented, "I see everything is well?"

"Bak, has Rikei calmed down?"

"A bit. He was quite rattled."

Kisha glared at Bak while popping grapes into her mouth. He wore a white coat  with the rose cross stamped on one side. Bak folded his arms and glared back at her.

"I've heard about you, girl," he said. "I get that you grew up on the road, without parents, but I won't have you manhandling those working here. Also, I won't have you pulling any disappearing acts like you did in Spain."

Kisha reached for more grapes and found the bunch picked clean. Discarding the stem, she picked up the hunk of cheese in the basket. "You've heard about me. Good for you." tossing a piece of the cheese into her mouth, she switched to Chinese. "I grew up on the road, on the run, barely able to speak the language, unable to understand what was happening, without anyone to explain it. And you have the gall to say you 'get me'. However, rest assured, my need to manhandle the scientists has been satisfied."

Klaud giggled as Bak's scowl went sideways. She stood up and straightened her coat. "I will leave you two to talk. Countrymen and all. I have my own work to get back to."

"Ah," Kisha raised her hand as if to stop Klaud. "Thank you, for helping me," she told her in English. "And the others that were with you."

"It was only natural. I mean, I was already looking for you." Klaud sighed. "Just get better." Klaud nodded to Bak and passed out the door. They could hear footsteps as she walked away.

Bak cleared his throat. "So you speak Chinese."

In Chinese, Kisha responded, "It was my first language. China is the closest to a home I ever had. Are we in China?"

"In a sense," he answered with a hint of a smile. "Anyway, welcome to the Asian Branch. I am Bak Chang, head chief here. My Assistant is Wong. You'll meet him later. I'm told your name is Kisha?"

Kisha nodded, devouring the rest of the cheese.

"Then, Kisha, feel free to wander the place when you feel up to it. I of course recommend taking things easy. You had several fractured bones, and by that I mean a couple dozen. You do seem to heal rather fast, but be careful just the same."

"Question," she stated. He nodded. "How long have I been here?"

"A little more than a day. Before that however, Klaud spent two days traveling here."

"I see." She fell silent, now finishing off the rest of the bread. Bak cleared his throat again and said,

"If that is all. You seem to be doing well enough. We'll take a look at how you've healed in another couple days. Again, no need to stay in this room. Have a good day."

Kisha made no attempt to stop him. She sat on the bed and cleaned out the basket provided by Klaud.

 

"So, you grew up here in China?" Rohfa asked. The black haired scientist, walked along the corridor while Kisha balanced on the railing, swinging around each column as they interrupted her path. The chinese girl interlinked her fingers behind her back.

"More or less," Kisha explained, "It took awhile for me to speak well enough to leave the country much. I ended up in Mongolia once by accident."

"That must have been interesting."

"If you call not being able to understand the local language interesting, sure."

Rohfa followed up with, "Then how long before you wandered over to Europe?"

"Not really sure. Five years?" Kisha hooked the next column and swung around it. "I located someone who knew of a mountain pass I could use to leave China on foot. To do that, I needed at least a decent ability to speak the language."

"I thought you said you were fifteen?"

"I said I might be," Kisha corrected with a grimace. "I never did know my birth date. I just know that everyone says I look fifteen, so I go with that."

"Oh, that must be hard, not knowing anything about yourself."

Kisha shrugged, but before she could correct the lab tech, Bak was there, having run to catch up with them. "Kisha, Komui's got a job for you."

Kisha stepped off the railing. "A job?"

He held out a paper. "He says everyone else is busy and you're probably the only one able to handle this. In the last month, Seven people have gone missing while riding on a particular train. There have even been claims that the train is haunted. Problem is that when the Finders tried to board the train to explore the rumors they weren't allowed on. The same happens to anyone trying to investigate the disappearances. Almost as if the train had a mind of its own."

Kisha scanned over the paper detailing the whereabouts of the train and all that had happened. "So, he's not even sure I'd be able to get on normally. Which is of course why it has to be me. I'm the fastest exorcist he has."

"So it would seem." Bak cleared his throat. "My question is are you feeling up to the work? You're completely healed, I know, but I was just wondering."

She handed the sheaf back to him. "I am fine, Bak. And now you'll have to show me the way out of this cave."

He nodded, moving down the hall. Rohfa broke off from them, heading back to where her coworkers would be. "There's something else. You should be careful out there. There's someone targeting innocence users. One of our five generals was killed a little before Klaud brought you here. I don't know if the fight you were in has anything to do with that, but keep an eye out. As far as I was told, you are the only one on a solitary mission right now. I want you to finish the job and come right back to here."

"I hear you," Kisha sighed, "and I will be careful."

"That's good to know." They stopped in front of a massive stone door. "Foh, I need you to open the door."


	7. A Run Down Memory Lane

Her eyes flicked from person to person as she strolled down the main street. No one paid attention to her even after she palmed a pair of pork buns from a stall. The small city of Chengdu had barely changed since she had last stayed in it, several years before. The buzz of people lay low over the road like a soft hum in a church.

Movement caught her eye behind one of the carts creaking down the stones. Kisha skipped sideways through the traffic. She spotted the young boys running along and hit a jog to keep up with them. They wore old clothes, baggy or too small. Only one of the three wore a pair of shoes if full of holes. Kisha followed them from Main to an abandoned store several blocks out. The front windows had been boarded up, but the side entrance proved loosely enough chained for the kids to slip inside. Kisha looked at the thin space and sighed. She had grown too much to fit through the opening.

A chinese voice exclaimed behind her, "I knew it was you!" The skinny boy grinned wearing an extra large sports shirt and a pair of shorts good enough for a teen kept on by an old leather belt cut short. "You no change, Kisha."

She frowned at him, trying to place his bony features. "Xu," she guessed and he nodded. "You've gotten taller if not fatter," Kisha told him.

"Yes. I same height as you now. When you shrink?"

Kisha retorted, "When are you going to learn to speak proper sentences? No wonder you're still on the streets. This your new hideout?"

"Old one got torn down. Couple years after you leave. Ting!" Xu raised his voice to be heard inside. A teen poked his head out, scratched up pair of headphones around his neck. "Ting, you remember Kisha."

She remembered Ting as the spunky kid with a guilty pleasure in stealing CD's rather than food. When he ducked out the door to join them, she saw a teenager starting his growth spurt, though still underfed and thin.

A full head taller than her, he grinned downward. "How have you been? fancy clothes, I see."

Kisha glanced down at her Exorcist uniform. "I have a job. What about you? Music tastes still the same." She gestured to his rock roll shirt.

"As always. You want to come in?"

Kisha shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm sorta on the clock. Ting, you're what, seventeen now?"

"Eighteen in a couple months." His face took a dip as he studied her face. "You look young for being the same age as me."

"Give or take," Kisha added. "My age is always a guessing game. Anyway, I have a runaway train to catch." She took a few steps back towards the street. A younger kid pushed his way out of the hideout. Seeing him, Ting  waved him over.

"You remember that old lady who used to give us shelter in the winter? She passed away last year and this is her grandson who she took care of. Tomas, though he doesn't talk much."

The boy was staring at her. She stopped and held out a hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you, Tomas." The boy raised his hand slowly, but rather than take her hand, his arm changed, becoming  long thin edged spike that struck right through the middle of her chest when it formed.

A single word passed the boy's lips before he completely changed. "Exorcist." Xu screamed wordlessly. Tomas became what looked like a six legged human, only his arms and legs were long spindly spikes and he hissed with spike like teeth. The Akuma snarled and struck at Ting next to him, still in shock.

Ting blinked and found himself on the roof of the store. Kisha put him down and peered over the edge. Black lines etched her skin at the injury.

"What?" Ting stammered.

"No time to explain," she snapped, jumping off the roof before the akuma could assault Xu. Kisha surged past it, and scooped up the skinny boy as she ran out into the street. With a scream of rage, the akuma ran after her, heedless of the people who fell to get out of the way. It sprang over Kisha's head and spider blocked her path out of the street.

Kisha cursed, "Fast little bugger." Xu screamed again, this time right in her ear, so she whacked the back of his head. "Enough of that and get to cover." For him, he fell into a habit of listening to her as the older kid. Xu dove into the star struck crowd. Kisha growled, her skin turning white.

Kisha leapt into the air, tumbling in a controlled spin into a drop kick. She fell into empty space. She shifted to the side as a spike struck the ground. Bouncing off the walls, Kisha chased the akuma across the city, dodging spikes that it shot from it's front limbs and re grew within moments.

"Na na, nanana," the akuma taunted, "you can't catch me."

"Go fuck yourself," Kisha swore at it in English, pushing for more speed. She over shot with the extra energy, but grazed it this time. "Damnitdamnitdamnit." Kisha pushed off the ground, flying even faster.

"Nahaha, so fast you can't even see," It mocked, dodging with ease. White light gathered this time around her feet. Her body slammed into the akuma head on.

"No need to see if you don't move," Kisha sneered, digging one clawed hand into it's shoulder, and slammed her other hand through the head. Dust fell around her. "Feh, So childish."

 

"Welcome back, Kisha," Foh sang as she closed the doors behind her. "Was the trip fun?"

Kisha tossed the cube of innocence to Foh, who stared at it curiously. "Not really. Whatever, you guys call fun, I had none of it. Where's Bak?"

Foh tossed the cube back to Kisha. "He's busy right now."

"Busy with what?"

"One of our deep cover agents came in today. He's debriefing her as we speak."

Kisha tucked the innocence into her pocket. "You have deep cover agents?"

"Just a couple. They spend months to years investigating certain topics for us before returning. You should meet her. Kashi is really sweet and motherly. She always comes back with souvenirs. This time she brought Rohfa a doll made in Mongolia. It's this porcelain thing with real hair and a custom dress. I do wish she could be around more, because Kashi is a wonderful person to talk to and, Kisha? Why did you stop?" Lost in her bubbling ramble, Foh had left Kisha in the dust as Kisha's brain just went dead on the name Kashi.

Kisha asked, "What does Kashi look like?"

"Her looks? Well, extravagant like. She always wears expensive clothing in various shades of blue and purple to go with her hair. And, you know, in the twelve years she's been with us, I've never seen her age. Isn't that amazing? twelve years and she looks barely older than Rohfa."

A memory of a woman in a dark blue ball gown flashed through Kisha head and the sound of laughter everywhere except that face. Kisha bit her lip. "I knew someone a very long time ago with purple hair. It's just the name sounded familiar, but I can't quite place it."

Foh whistled to herself. "Maybe you could ask Kashi yourself. She really is rather nice."

"I might," Kisha caught back up with Foh. "If she looks anything like my memory that is. Anything of interest happen while I was gone?"

"Shifu blew something rancid up in the lab. Oh, right. You mean more disastrous things. No, nothing happened."

"Alright." Kisha turned to the hall that lead to Bak's office.

"No, no, no. You can't do that. Do that and the whole set up will fall apart."

"Do it the way you are suggesting, and I get a frivolous decor."

As Kisha turned the corner, so did Bak and a woman with purple hair, passing by her almost without noticing. Bak cut off his thought, eyes latching onto Kisha at the same time hers latched onto Kashi.

"Kisha! You're back. Did you find the innocence?"

Kashi blinked several times as she turned. She was a stately woman with her hair neatly laid out over her shoulders. The teal suit jacket and pants fit snugly over a laced gray blouse were pristine and expensive.

Kisha frowned at Kashi, but dug out the innocence from her pocket and handed it over to him. "It was no issue. And this is?"

"Brilliant. Ah, no this is Kashi. She works for us out in the field. Kashi, meet Kisha, one of our exorcists."

Kashi's lips thinned and she folded her gloved hands together. She wore a pair of white silk gloves sewn with small yellow flowers. "We know each other, some what. Chang, I will have to ask to postpone a lunch together. It seems I have something else to take care of." Kashi gave Kisha one meaningful look before setting a brisk pace down the hall: A look that was lost on the younger girl. Kisha stood there looking slightly confused. Bak smirked.

"I think she meant for you to follow her, Kisha." She gave him a sideways look. He nodded his head up the hall.

"I meant you, pipsqueak," Kashi called without stopping. Kisha scowled and ran to catch up.

"First off," Kisha snarled, jumping at the bit, "I highly dislike being called a pipsqueak. Secondly, All I know of you is that you brought me to China and abandoned me as soon as you convinced yourself to."

"You remember nothing else?"

Kisha started. "What?"

Sighing, Kashi repeated, "Do you not remember the events that lead up to me bringing you to China?"

"No. My first memory is of the boat ride and that is foggy. Why?"

"It lessons the amount I have to explain to you. Hm, here will do." Kashi made a sharp turn into an alcove with a bench and sat down. "Sit."

"I prefer to stand." Kisha stopped in the opening of the alcove and folded her arms. Kashi's eyes narrowed as they passed up and down.

"You have," she mused, "closed yourself off from the world. Rightful considering the mess you must have been living."

"And what do you know of that?"

Kashi folded her hands in her lap. "When I... when I left you at the orphanage, I was assured it would safe. Certainly when I heard in the months later that it had been reduced to ruin, I went to see for myself. I was pleased that you were not among the casualties."

"I was freaking out," Kisha spat. "Why the hell did you never find me if you cared so much?"

"Because if I did, I would only put both of us in danger. I had completely convinced the Earl that I still believed you to be in his possession. As more time passed, I could only conclude that you had learned to survive perfectly well."

"Who's the Earl? Some rich dude?"

Kashi smiled as if at a joke. "No, he's called the Millenium Earl by the Order. In that outfit, I am sure you have heard of him."

Kisha grimaced, her rigid stance loosening somewhat. "Yeah, I know the name. So, what does he have to do with me?"

"That is a long story, and not one I think you would accept. But I can answer other questions for you. If you'll sit down so I don't have to look up at you."

There was a moment as Kisha hesitated before taking the spot next to Kashi. " Can you tell me who I am?"

"I can tell you that you are a talented young woman."

"That doesn't really answer my question."

Kashi said, "Then ask a better question. I can't tell you everything."

Kisha dropped her eyes to the ground. "Do you know when I was born? I'm told I look like a teenager, but the time doesn't make sense when I think about it. How old am I really?"

"Twenty four. Oh, I know how ridiculous it sounds, but you were born twenty four years ago."

"How is it I look like this then?"

"Best theory of mine? Your innocence is matched with your mind. I think that for you to look your age, something inside you has to change. That's my theory. It is far better than the Earl claiming you have a special innocence."

"A special innocence?"

"Legend says there is a piece of innocence called The Heart. This piece is like the keystone of an arch. Destroy it and all others are destroyed as well. The Earl used to think yours was that piece until more recently. Now he has sent out his minions to destroy any and all innocence in search of The Heart."

"His minions," Kisha muttered, jolting to her feet. "Do you mean that guy with the grayish skinned guy with the weird ability to hurt me?"

"Gray skin, crosses on his forehead and a love for fun?" Kashi leaned forward on her elbows.

Kisha nodded.

"The idiot you fought with is named Tyki. There are others like him. I did wonder why he came back looking like a mangled cat. What did he do to you?"

"When he touched me, it felt like being melted with fire. And my activated form crumbled in those spots as well."

"Noah have an innate ability to destroy Innocence. Most of them won't be able to hurt you in your inactive state, but Tyki. His ability is to pick and choose what he touches. My advice is to run when you see a Noah. Every one of them has been informed of you with orders to only bring you in alive if possible."

Kisha scowled at the air. "And what of you? It has been years since I last saw you and now I hear you spy for the order, deep enough to know the information passed in the Earl's circle. Can I trust you not to pass word of me to him?"

Kashi pushed off the bench. "You are the very thing that the Earl uses to keep me under his control, Kisha. If I told him of your location, what then? Rest assured, child, I am not the one to out you to the enemy." She pulled her gloves on snug. "I am glad we could talk." Kashi strode off. Kisha stood there long enough for Foh to come looking.

"Why do you look as if someone stomped on your face," Foh inquired cautiously.

"I hardly consider Kashi a warm and welcoming person, Foh. Say, you got time to waste?"

"Yea, why?"

Kisha cracked her knuckles. "I'd like to do some training."


	8. Never Was a Sailor

Water splashed over the sink and onto the floor. Kisha set the plain white bowl aside and pushed back her hair. Everything that had happened in the last few days echoed in her mind. Even with the sparring she'd done with Foh, Kashi's words remained at the front of her thoughts. Kisha stared at her eyes, now wondering what they had to do with the rest of her body.

"What are you?" she whispered to herself. Head drooping, she made a heavy sigh and pulled her exorcist jacket back on. Kashi. The name meant nothing to her besides some strange name for a person she couldn't understand. But the woman knew things about her. Personal things that had helped clear up a lot of her confusion.

Kisha found herself at the cafeteria before she realized Foh hadn't interrupted her somber thoughts. Looking around, Kisha began to wander the halls, wondering what had kept the guardian busy.

She stopped at the last pair of columns, the great doors ahead and a gathering of people including Bak, Wong and Foh. The fourth figure made all other thoughts vanish. A feeling close to despair flooded the empty space.

Bak turned around, ready to lead the group away from the door and stopped. "Kisha." Allen's head pulled around.

Her eyes met his and she turned away. "Kisha," Allen cried and ran to her, "wait." He tried to grab her arm, but only bumped her as his hand was all wrapped in bandages. "Please don't run away again."

"Your arm. Your weapon is." She kept looking away.

He grimaced. "A noah took it. But it is not lost. Bak says it can be restored."

Kisha turned and touched his stump of a shoulder. "Still, it must ache, not having it. I'd be dead without mine."

"I will get it back with time. Kisha, what about you? It has been too long since you left us in Alma Mia."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "About that. Allen. I am sorry. I hurt you."

"It was an accident. Kisha, is that really what's been bothering you? I have never seen you get emotional about hurting someone ever."

"Is that what this is? Getting emotional?"

Allen blinked and slowly began cracking up. Regaining his breath he said, "I have to remember you're not like the rest of us."

"So you two know each other?" Bak asked after a careful moment.

Allen nodded. "We trained together under General Cross for a year. Course then she ran away for some reason. Oh," he refocused on Kisha. "I keep meaning to ask what happened to your eyes."

Kisha froze. "I don't know. They changed after my anti-akuma weapon became better. Remember? That big fight before I left you guys?"

"Oh," was all he answered with.

"Ah, then it is lucky that you are here, Kisha." Bak frowned. "Allen was part of a group assigned to locate and protect General Cross. But since he can't fight, They will be down a member. Why don't you go and help them out?"

Allen protested, "So soon? Can't she wait and go out with me? I'll be back on my feet soon enough."

Bak rested the clipboard he held on his shoulder. "In that there is no guarantee, Allen. And while you are recovering, the others might need help where they're going."

"Both of you shut up," Kisha snapped, stepping around Allen. "I've been wanting an excuse to get out of here anyway. Foh, could you open the door for me?"

"Course," Foh chipperly responded.

Bak scribbled a location on a corner of his papers and tore it off, holding it out to Kisha. "Be careful. The stakes have gotten that much higher."

She snatched the paper from his hand. "No need to treat me like a kid. Foh?"

 

A sailor glanced backward in time to see a streak of light leaving a wake several feet high on the water in dots, like steps in explosions of water. He sucked in a breath and yelled, "From the stern!" The streak turned slightly, just enough to head closer to the ship, but not straight at it and vanished only yards away from the hull. The sailor ran to the rail and peered over the side.

Lavi hit the rail next to the sailor, staring off into the darkness. "Where?"

"A bolt of light. It just vanished over there." The sailor pointed to where he remembered it. Lavi peered there for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"If you see it again, yell." Lavi turned away just as the sailor yelled again.

"There's something in the water."

Lavi turned a second time and looked down. Kisha grinned up at them.

"Hey, Lavi. Mind giving me a hand up on deck?"

Stretching out the handle of his hammer, Lavi pulled Kisha on deck with a flabbergasted frown. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to replace Allen. How serious is the fight?"

"Bad. Lenalee is fighting a level three somewhere and we are being shot at from the clouds."

Kisha ground her teeth. "I can't fight in the sky."

The deck shook beneath them, Kisha reached for the rail as the stern tipped downward. She was left hanging onto it while she hung over the edge. Growling under her breath, Kisha threw herself towards the middle of the ship. The dark cloaked man standing there whirled on her like an enemy. Before he could get much closer, she flicked him in the forehead.

"Idiot, use your eyes. Now tell me why this boat is sinking? Did we start taking on water?"

"Crowley, it's okay. Kisha's one of us," Lavi pulled up to them. "And we can't be taking on Water. Miranda's time ability automatically repairs everything."

"Miranda?"

"New Exorcist." Lavi pointed towards the woman he meant and paused. "And something is wrong." Miranda was staring at a device attached to her wrist and trying to pull something else off of it like a creeping vine too strong to tear. Kisha frowned.

"You focus on protecting the ship," she told Lavi. "I will help this Miranda." Kisha  made her away across the slanting deck to Miranda, with the five crew members around her like a shield. Sparks struck from what looked like a chain hovering around Miranda's wrist. Kisha's feet slid as the deck kept on tilting. Now everyone else was clamboring for a hand hold to keep from falling into the water.

Miranda's hold on the railing slipped, but before she could fall, A crystal white hand blackened on the knuckles grabbed her arm. Purple eyes glared from inside a strangely white face. A black web stained the white on one side. Miranda wailed a keening noise out of fear.

"Shut it, or are you not an exorcist?" Kisha snapped in her ringing voice, cutting Miranda's wail short as if with a knife. "Tell me what is wrong."

Miranda blubbered, "Who-who are you?"

"My name is Kisha, an exorcist. What is wrong, woman?"

"I-I do not know. My innocence is no trouble, but these chains. I do not know them." She yelped as another barrage of akuma bullets hit the ship. Kisha easily lifted Miranda out of the way, ignoring one that slammed into her arm.

"Your arm. I cannot bring back the dead, exorcist," Miranda tried to explain in a moan.

"This will hardly kill me." Kisha opened her mouth to snap at the woman, but stopped to watch as the black on her hand faded and the spikes taken from punching Tyki returned. "Interesting. You, Miranda, come with me." Not giving any choice in the matter, Kisha let go of the rail, digging her spiked heels into the now vertical deck. The two of them landed on the main mast where Kisha could use both her hands.

"What are you doing?" Miranda squeaked. Kisha gripped the chain encircling Miranda's artifact. Sparks flew and sizzled in her hand. The chain refused to budge at first, behaving like a marble wall. Kisha growled to herself and focused all her energy in her hand. Long claws grew from her fingernails and the blade like ridge on her forearm elongated as the arm itself thickened with muscle. As a spike began to protrude from her elbow, the chain cracked. It began with just one tiny slit that then spread with increasing speed until it shattered. With a violent jerk, the ship righted itself.

"You, you broke it," Miranda exclaimed.

"That's great, but I'm useless from here on out." Kisha glanced up at the cloud filled sky. Yelling and a light came from Lavi's direction, the light becoming a pillar that hit the sky, ridding it of clouds. Crowley flew upward with Lavi's help. "Luckily, it seems I'm not needed after all" Kisha reset the flow of her power to normal, the extra muscle and weaponry retracting. Timcampy fluttered over and settled on her head.

It was a quiet moment as the fight came to an end in a shower of red dust. Kisha stood back as the crew got the ship moving again, most of them eyeing her askance. She glanced about and then closed her eyes to deactivate her innocence. As she returned to human form, a gasp sounded by the cabin. Kisha opened her eyes, looking then at an Asian woman of average height with short black hair with the exception of a ponytail curled over one shoulder.

She spoke in chinese to Kisha, "Kisha, by the heavens. I thought you were." The woman trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. Kisha squinted at her, eventually remembering the woman from her memories of Kashi.

"You are one of Kashi's aquaintances I think?"

"Anita," she said with a dip of a slight curtsy. "Did she not tell you of me?"

Kisha scowled, her lip curling in annoyance. "Kashi barely told me anything when I saw her a few days ago."

Anita's smile seemed to cry as she walked over to Kisha and cupped the girl's face with her hands. Kisha blinked and jerked back. "I am sorry. I should have known all those years ago, you would not want to remember your past."

"My past? I heard that the earl held me captive, is that what you mean?"

"That and more." Anita sighed and looked around, aware of the watchers now. "Come, we can talk in private."

Kisha shook her head. "Later." She was looking at Lavi, who was looking out to sea. "Lavi?"

"Lenalee isn't returning."

Kisha glanced at the waves. "Level three. Even I've never beaten one of those."

Lavi stared at her. "You haven't? Wait, you've encountered a level three?"

"Once. And I ran the instant I realized how strong it was. How do you think I got so fast?"

He choked on a half-hearted laugh. "So, why isn't she coming back?"

"Isn't it obvious? She is either still fighting, dead or badly injured. Get going already."

Lavi took a step forward and then stopped to consider. "Don't you usually just do things yourself?"

"I can't fight on the water. Sure, if I knew her exact position, I could run out to her, but when I get there, I either have to keep on running or stop completely. So, go."

"Wait," Miranda protested. "What about your injuries? They will return so far from the ship."

Lavi shook his head. "And just wait for someone who may need help? I'm going, Miranda."

Miranda tried to stop Lavi by grabbing him, but Kisha stepped in the way, not even looking at Miranda.

"This is your fault, giving him such a terrible idea. Why did you even bring it up?"

The look Kisha gave Miranda was cold enough to freeze the air. "The logical course is to back up our fellow exorcist, not prioritize ourselves. You of all the exorcists I have met are the most annoying, and that says something." Kisha turned away and strode to the prow to wait.


	9. Reunion at Edo

The night sky glittered with Akuma. Hidden within the darkness of an empty warehouse, the gathering of exorcists and supporters prepared for their attack.

"I don't like this plan," Miranda muttered. "Since when is splitting up a good idea?"

Lavi shrugged, letting Kisha do the talking this time. "Since the person splitting from the group is me. I explained already that I am a person of interest to the Earl, as Lavi puts it, whatever that means. If I draw attention, there will be less on the rest of you. Don't worry. Running is what I do best."

"I hardly think that is something to be proud of," the sailor name Chaoji muttered and then winced as Lenalee pinched him.

"Enough bickering then. Let's go!" Lavi whipped out his artifact and brought it around to make the fire seal. In the light of the flame snake, Kisha shot off, whizzing through the streets and then onto the rooftops, a white streak in a dull city.

The snake made no effect on the Earl, but by then, Kisha found her chosen launch site and jumped skyward. She latched onto the nearest Akuma, tearing it to dust as she flew past. Swinging around, Kisha grabbed the next target and gripped it's head from behind, ripping off the clenched appendage while jumping off to the next.

She crashed through the third akuma head on, falling onto two others hovering just close enough together, for her to hook and break by twisting sharply. Dropping back to the ground, she got a good view of Lavi and Tyki beginning to fight. She glanced up to see the akuma turn into one large form.

Timcampy buzzed around her head once and lit on her shoulder for a moment. "Tim," Kisha said. "Long time no see. You want to play?" The golem whizzed around her head a few more times and zipped off to hide. "Thought not." Kisha rushed towards the giant akuma, surging her arms to a decent bulk. Leaping into the air, she smashed both hands together into one of its legs. The armor cracked, but remained standing.

The akuma shifted, kicking at her. Kisha took the full force of the motion, crashing through several walls before coming to a stop.

 

The Earl twirled his umbrella in one hand, watching the mayhem and whistling to himself. Then he said to the purple haired noah next to him, "Feeling anything maternal, Kashi?"

"Pride," Kashi answered, her face a grey mask of calm. Inside worry gnawed at her thoughts. "Pride that my daughter became the thorn in your side I wanted her to be."

"Just like her mother. Now I wonder what you will do. Join your daughter in fighting perhaps. I know you have been desiring my head for a long time now."

Kashi smirked. "Oh, the havoc I could wreck. Unmake an akuma here, build a castle there, chase Tyki with his own mirror. Now that would be fun. No, I haven't decided yet, the best way to cook you, dear Millenium Earl." Her smirk became a gleeful snarl.

His grin became sour. Whipping the umbrella in his hand around, it became a broadsword. Roof tiles peeled off the tower to make a shield arcing over Kashi in time to block his swing.

"Playing rough, my lord?" Kashi teased. "I haven't done anything yet."

"Maybe you should leave before I get really rough. Or maybe go kill your ever so annoying daughter."

Kashi fluttered her eyelashes, which paired with her tight lipped smile only annoyed the Earl. Laughing then, she rose and stepped out onto a panel of rose colored stone that formed under her feet. The panel began to drop out on an angle over the city. Kashi waved a hand and a japanese umbrella painted with cherry blossoms formed in her hand. She opened it and set on her shoulder as her dress shifted in color to match the light pink with a light maroon.

 

Reaching the rooftops again, Kisha sucked in one breath and let out a shriek, letting the shrill noise grow as long as she could. The giant akuma near her shook, vibrating even as it tried to raise a hand. At the peak of her cry, it broke down into dust like red snow. She grinned and began running to the next one. Only as she reached the site, it split from head to toe as if cut.

"Welcome back, Kisha," Kanda said as she approached, sheathing his katana. "Nice job with the other one."

"You too." Kisha shifted her eyes to Mari who seemed ready to cry. "What is the matter with you?"

Kanda barely even looked at Mari, making a face. "He seems to think that screech of yours is angelic."

"Oh okay." She quickly looked away. "What's that?" She pointed to the castle and the Earl.

Everything in her screamed to run and yet in the same instant she shifted for speeding away, the ground opened beneath Kisha's feet.

"Aahow!" Kisha slammed into rock bed several feet down and stared upward as the hole above her closed up. "Kanda!" she yelled, getting to her feet. "Kanda!" In the pitch black, the hole seemed to shrink in around her. Heart racing, Kisha jumped and slammed into the cover that refused to break. Kisha jumped a second time, yielding no different results.

She screamed, "Kanda," not realizing she had reverted back to human. A sense of dejavu lay over her mind next to the increasing panic making her breathing go ragged. Kisha punched the earth wall, and hit it again and again until the panic became anger.

Breaking through the earth covering the hole, Kisha pulled herself above ground and sucked in a long breath. The city of Edo was gone, only a flat slate around the castle remaining.

"Kanda?" she asked the world.

It answered. "Kisha, good you're okay."

They heard Mari yell, "Kanda, look out!" Tyki clashed against Kanda's sword as he came rushing over. Kisha pushed up to her feet, but then Kashi was there, standing in the way.

"What are you doing," Kisha demanded.

"Protecting you," Kashi said. "I told you fighting the noah would get you killed."

"You are a noah," Kisha spat, streaking around her mother. She leapt at Tyki, arm raised to punch him. Tyki dodged backwards. Kanda closed the space, cutting at the noah. Tyki danced away again. Kisha came down on him from above, cracking the earth when he managed to dodge.

"Lovely to see you again, Kisha," he sang. "Maybe I'll take your innocence away this time."

"Duck," Kanda commanded. Kisha crouched as low as she could for Kanda's illusion attack to pass over her. Tyki dodged that and rushed in at Kisha. She moved back from him. His hand brushed her arm before he had to jump away to avoid being cut by Kanda. He disappeared into a cloud of dust still lingering. Kisha let him go, taking the moment to make sure no real damage had been done. When she heard Kanda arguing extensively with someone she jogged to find out who.

"Can you two chill? This is supposed to be," Lavi started only to be cut off by both Kanda and Allen growling at him to shut up. Kisha ran over and wrapped her arms around Allen.

"You got your arm back," she said into his back.

"You're hugging me," he said, staring incredulously at the arms wrapped around him. She immediately stepped away.

"Shut up."

He grinned, turning to face her. "What, getting shy?"

She punched him. "I said shut up!"

"Aw, you guys look like such a cute family."

Kisha cringed as the guys turned to look at Kashi. Kanda's hand flew to his sword as Lavi reached for his hammer.

"Don't touch her," Kisha snapped. She let her innocence revert. They stared at her. "Touch her and I'll hurt you."

Kanda glared at her. "She's a noah. What the hell are you saying?"

"She isn't our enemy, Kanda."

"Hell, if she isn't our enemy, Kisha. A noah is a noah."

"Not this time, Kanda. So let her be."

Kashi spun her umbrella on one finger, watching them with a sickly sweet smile. "My dear, Kisha. You could just tell them the truth. It's just a silly word."

"To hell with you," Kisha growled and walked away.

Allen looked from Kisha to Kashi. "Who are you?"

Kashi curtsied. "Kashi as I am called by most everyone nowadays. I am pleased Kisha has people she cares about. She always was somewhat alone as a child."

Kanda raised his katana. "Then why shouldn't I slice you open right this moment?"

"You mean besides Kisha running back here to bash your skull open?" kashi giggled and gave her skirt a flap, changing the color again to a light blue splattered with black. "I'm her mother."


	10. Anger and Pain

"Tell me, Kashi," Bookman inquired in front of the fire, "How did a noah like you come to be the mother of an innocence user like Kisha."

Having changed her clothes to a simpler dress with a matching blue umbrella which she spun in her hands, Kashi relaxed by the wall of the tunnel they rested in. She smiled, turning her head to look at Kisha standing outside of the tunnel entrance with Mari at that moment.

"I was a normal human when I conceived and birthed to her. And for one year, my life was utterly normal and pleasant. But things changed. I changed and eventually she did as well."

"And even with the change, you do not choose the side of the Earl?"

"Yes, that is right."

"If you do not mind, why?"

She swept her hand outward, dust falling from her fingers like rain. "Look at me, Old one. I am a manipulator of the world. I may be of Noah blood, but the memories I have are those that the first Noah rejected. His love or affection for the world, his dream of what might have been but never happened. The Earl named me Kashi after I proved my loyalty to my daughter the first time. From then on she was a piece of the puzzle to him. A way of manipulating me into doing his bidding. It is the only reason he kept her alive so long."

Standing outside, Kisha somberly listened to Mari talk to her about his own travels. His words made no impact on her mind, only served to distract her from her own thoughts.

"Then he was running and I never thought anyone could have gone so fast as all that," Mari rambled on.

"Linalee!" Both of them turned to Allen's yell to see Linalee disappearing into the ground. Light burst from the ground as Allen dove after her.

"Allen," Lavi cried out, reaching out and taking hold of the boy's coat only to be pulled in as well. Kisha shielded her eyes as the light became too bright to look at. When the night became dark again, it was only darkness long enough to realize the people gone. Seeing what looked like ash falling past her eyes, Kisha looked up at the sky and saw something shining up there with the sky falling to pieces around them.

"What is that" She whispered to herself.

The others came out to look at the sky as well wondering the same thing much louder. Forming a new pair of gloves about her hands, Kashi carefully place one upon her daughter's shoulder. Kisha, rapt in her attention, took no notice of the contact right away. When she turned to see who stood there, she growled and threw up an arm to break the contact.

"Don't touch me. Ever."

"Kisha," Kashi began.

"No." Kisha cut in sharply, motioning just as harshly. "You abandoned me and expect me to simply let it go. Just leave me alone."

"I can't touch you, Kisha. I had no way of knowing what would happen either way. Please, I want to make things better now."

"Then stop trying already, because I'm not interested. Bookman, something is wrong. My skin is crawling."

Mari stepped forward. "The Akuma are gathering. Growing."

White bubbled into the forms of several giant Akuma on the field. Kisha took in one deep breath. "Taking center," was all she said before shooting into a full run. Her muscles bulged as she gained speed. In little more than a second she had reached the closest of the giants. It stomped down, but then she was past it and the next one. She picked the fourth, bouncing upward off of the third. Each step she took caused black cracks to form, chunks falling to the ground while turning to dust. She slowed in jumping into the akuma's face. She grabbed on and propelled her feet upward as it swatted at the air.

Rolling, she landed on its shoulder and smashed one spiked fist right into the ear. She jumped, allowing the akuma to smash a hand into its own head. She focused energy into her hands, skin turning white and her knuckles growing spikes that looked like crystals. Landing once more on its shoulder, she slammed both fists right into the open wound. Black cracks spider webbed out from the shattered ear. Kisha jumped backwards, somersaulting to the next nearest Akuma which then tried to grab her as the other crumbled into dust.

Kisha aimed for this one's nose, putting one large gash across the bridge. She let gravity drop her to where she could grab hold of its lower lip. A hand whistled by overhead. Launching upward, she spun in the sky a little longer to see the span of the field. Wires wrapped two of those closest to the bridge. White trees spotted the ground and grew, twining, about a third off to the North of her. She could still see Kashi at the Bridge, unmoving next to Bookman. Anger flooded her mind. She dropped like a brick, smashing a giant hole through the Akuma's head.

She hated the thought of Kashi being here, being who she was and what she meant to the giant hole that were Kisha's childhood memories. Every confusing year spent wandering without a home, trying to survive, always running, hiding from trouble because it always showed up a few months later. The short time spent in that one city that seemed like forever at the time. The rage that filled up her mind, drove her forward to the next Akuma. Chunks of its flesh exploded like giant water balloons with each and every punch.

It slapped Kisha like a gnat out of its face. She turned in the air and hit the ground feet first, her momentum causing her to slide back several feet, leaving ditches. She growled and screamed at the top of her lungs. Crystals grated in the air, vibrating strong enough to shake the ground. One of the Akuma dropped to one knee and the one she had barraged shattered like glass.

From the trees formed a tall giant on thin legs that began to fight with the Akuma. Strings of light crossed the sky and another Akuma fell without a head. Kisha took a breath to realize in her anger she had activated her innocence. Kisha sucked in a breath, trying to revert and nothing happened. A bit of panic flared in her mind, only to die as her battle instincts took over once more. She surged forward, taking on the nearest Akuma in her path.

Kisha felt the air shake as the black Ark formed in the sky overhead. She barely noticed it, busy as she was taking down yet another giant akuma. But she felt the air move as if she herself was a part of the air. Dust fell around her as the akuma crumbled. She walked on, buzzing with power. She charged right into the next akuma, despite the burning pain beginning to creep into her muscles. Two strikes into the knees made the giant fall and a singular punch to the eye made it turn to ash.

Looking for a new target, she found the field empty but for the ash and dust swirling in a breeze. Light played over the strange plain. She let out a sigh and fire shot up her arm. Hissing in pain, she knelt where she was, curling up around her arm. She shut her eyes tight, focusing on herself being normal.

They came to find her sitting there after a long time, Allen and Lenalee. Running over, yelling her name, the knelt next to her. Allen wrapped his arms around Kisha and squeezed tight.

"I am so glad to see you, Kisha."

"Did we win?"

"Totally," Lenalee pumped. "We found General Cross, defeated the bad guys and saved everyone."

"Good, I can go kill my mother," I grumbled.

Allen refuted, "What, no, Kisha. You cannot kill your mother."

"Why not?"

"Because she is your mother. Even if she is a Noah."

Kisha gave Allen a rough shove. "It is because she is Noah that I am the way I am." She got up and dusted off her pants. Allen stood as well, glaring up at her, both of them stared at the other. Kisha wondered what felt so strange while Allen stepped back, looking her up and down.

"Did you have a growth spurt while I was gone?"

Kisha looked down at herself. Her clothes fit a little tauter than they had before the battle and her shorts ended higher up on her legs than she remembered.

"Apparently," she grunted. "I am going to need a new uniform."


	11. Confusion on the Homefront

"You're as healthy as a weed, Kisha," Matron swore, handing the girl shirt and pants. "Sudden growth spurt aside, I see no issues with your body. If you have any problems, come by or go talk to Hevlaska."

"Why Hevlaska?" Kisha took the clothes and kicked off the slippers she'd been given.

"Your body is not exactly normal. Since I see nothing physical the matter, that still leaves an issue with your anti-akuma weapon. Now if that is all, I have others to tend to."

Kisha bobbed her head, pulling the curtain around while Matron stalked away with a sniff. She pulled on the plain gray pants and shirt, discarding the robe she had been leant for a time.

A full length mirror stood in one corner of the room. Kisha went over to it, combing her hair back. She sighed upon studying herself, upon seeing exactly how much she'd grown. In moments, her height had gained inches, her face lost its youth. She still looked young, but you could tell it was the youth of an adult and not an adolescent. The purple of her eyes seemed even brighter than before now.

"I never thought of you as the type to stare at yourself like that. Hungry?" Kisha turned to Komui who held out a croissant. She walked over to him and took the snack.

"When you suddenly grow five and a quarter inches in seconds, get back to me. I am still getting used to it." She bit into the pastry.

Komui motioned to the open infirmary door and they began to stroll. "Thank you for helping in Japan."

"I did it for Allen."

"So, Allen is important to you?"

Kisha stuttered, "Uh, I guess. I have known him a long time, Komui."

He nodded. "He was rather upset to learn you ran off on your own. Which reminds me to ask, how are you?"

"Curious to find out what happened. Lovely chat, and" she held up the remaining half of a croissant, "the munch, but I need to go see Hevlaska."

"It's called a Croissant. Why see Hevlaska?"

"Krousan?"

"Croissant," Komui corrected. "A french food that is very popular. So, Hevlaska?"

"Matron said that since there is nothing wrong with me in the normal manor, it might have to do with my Innocence. So, I am going to Hevlaska."

"Mind if I tag along then? I do have a few questions to ask."

Kisha continued eating as they walked down the hall.

"Klaud's report said you had been buried in the landside for several days. How was it you survived that without water or food?"

She licked her fingers. "I was activated the entire time. For some reason when I am in that state, I don't get thirsty, hungry, I don't sleep, I don't breathe. I'm aware of everything."

"Everything?"

She nodded. "How stale the air is, moisture on the rocks. I feel every second ticking by. When I look at someone, I can read their muscles like a sign on the wall. I can hear breathing a block away."

Komui adjusted his glasses. "Fascinating. Perhaps the innocence itself keeps you alive because of the form it takes."

"Certainly a good theory."

"Were you aware of how long you could stay activated at the time?"

Kisha shook her head. "Not at all. It was all on the spot."

"I see. Have you experienced any other issues with your innocence since then?"

Still shaking her head, she finished off the croissant. "Nothing to note."

They stepped onto the elevator and Kisha dusted off her hands. "Any more questions?"

"I hear you found your mother."

"I did."

"No relief? No joy at getting the answers?"

"My mother abandoned me, Komui. Maybe once I would have been happy to find her, but now that I have, it no longer matters."

"So, you remember or she told you?"

"Both. At first she was talking to me about the past. Then I started remembering things. Either way, I don't want to be with her."

"Maybe you should give her a chance. She is your mother."

"No!" Komui's eyebrows rose. Kisha grimaced. "I made my decision, Komui."

He remained quiet as the elevator came to a stop next to Hevlaska. He watched Kisha move up to the edge and look upward.

Hevlaska leaned closer. "Kisha, this is unexpected. What is it you need?"

"Something happened in my last fight. My innocence activated on its own and wouldn't turn off when I wanted it to."

"That is a problem." Hevlaska reached down to Kisha. "I will take a look at your innocence."

Komui asked, "This happened over in Japan?"

"Yes," Kisha answered.

"You have recently taken damage," Hevlaska murmured loudly. "Damage that did not fix as it should have. Are you aware of this?"

"A noah did it to me. the places he touched me crumbled."

"The Noah are a dangerous sort. Besides the damage, it seems your synchro rate has dropped a little." Hevlaska unwrapped her tentacles from Kisha and backed away. "You have a very special innocence Kisha. I suspect your mental state has more impact on it than it does have with the others. Your fight might have effected how you use it somehow. Sorry, I could not be of more help."

"I will figure it out. I always do eventually." Kisha hit the button to go up.

"Be careful Kisha. I see that your darkest hours have yet to come."

"Whatever." The elevator rose back up from the darkness.

"What did happen with the Noah? That wasn't reported to me."

Kisha glanced over at Komui for a moment. "This guy approached my on the train. Really creepy guy. He attacked me. It was like being melted with fire."

"Do you want me to take a look? It might be you just need it repaired."

Kisha looked at him sideways. "I am not a machine to be toyed with, Komui. I do not want nor need surgery."

"Okay, okay. Still can't take a joke."

"For you, that is not a joke." Kisha stepped off the elevator. "Now, I would like to be alone, Komui. Go bug someone else."

"Kisha?" Three guys walked up to them. All of them wearing the same order uniform, one of them had a badge pinned to his shoulder. He stepped in front of the other two. "I need you to come with me."

"Kinda busy, busboy." Kisha stepped around him. He grabbed her arm.

"That was not a suggestion, Exorcist."

She shook him off. "News for you, busboy. I only take orders when I don't have anything better to do."

He looked at Komui who grimaced. Komui advised, "Kisha, better idea would be to go along with them for now."

"For what?"

"They probably just want to talk to you. Ask you questions about Japan. Just go with them."

Kisha turned back to the man next to her. "Touch me again and you will regret it."

"So long as you come." He motioned for Kisha to walk.

They walked to a lounge with three couches. On one couch sat Kashi, wearing a Navy blue kimono printed with swans. She smiled at Kisha over her teacup. Across the coffee table between them sat a prim clothed man with a sleezy look and over groomed hair.

"Thank you for coming, Kisha. Kashi and I were just talking about you." He waved the others away. "Please have a seat."

"I would rather not," Kisha said with a glare at Kashi.

"So, its true. Kashi here is your mother." He picked up his cup and took a sip. "I am fascinated by the events that lead to a daughter joining the same organization as her mother."

"You want to know, ask her. She's the one that abandoned me to my fate as a child. Did you want to talk about anything important or can I go back to what I was doing?"

"Dear," Kashi crooned. "Be nice."

"No, you shut up. I want nothing to do with you now that I remember."

"Ah, so that's why you finally look your age."

"What?"

Kashi smiled at her tea. "Ever since you were born, you grew slowly. At eight you looked six. At twelve you looked eight. And then you just stopped growing. They figured it out eventually, that your body would match your mental maturity. You didn't really think you were sixteen did you?"

"No, but. You still let them kidnap me, lock me up for years."

"I had no choice in the matter, Kisha. You were a hostage and I was only allowed to see you on your birthday, not that you would know since you never saw me."

"That is crap! I met Rhode when I was eight," Kisha yelled. Kashi froze with her eyes on her cup. "She started coming into the house when you were gone. She played with me and brought me treats and no one said shit about it. Four years and then she took me somewhere new and never let me leave. I didn't want to leave for a long time and by the time I wanted to go home I couldn't. So don't give me that crap!"

"Had I known Rhode visited you, I would have gotten you out much sooner. Ran away with you much sooner."

"So you could abandon me that much sooner? I get it, you love me enough to keep me away from them, but not enough to stay with me when I'm so emotionally messed up I look like an eight year old. Great parenting, mother."

"Ladies." Hands raised defensively he rose. "Please relax. We're here to talk, not fight. Kisha. Tea?"

"No, Thank you," Kisha grunted, grabbing a chair and dragging from its place so she could see both of them and the door at the same time. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You. And Allen Walker, but for now, You will suffice. Most of what your mother tells me are the usual childlike ramblings. So tell me about yourself."

"Why the hell should I? Do I even have to be here for this?" She gripped the arm of her chair hard enough that the wood creaked.

He lifted his own cup of tea and took a calculated sip. The porcelain rang with a simple tone as he put cup and saucer down. "My name is Leverrier. I am a special auditor. As happy as we are for your help against the akuma, I have been instructed to investigate the possiblity of either you or Allen being in league with the Millenium Earl. So, yes you have to be here, and you should tell me because its that or be locked up."

Kisha's head clicked sideways. "How is that supposed to be a threat?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How is imprisonment a threat? Are you aware of what I can do?"

"By the very fact that you are made of innocence, you can defeat Akuma by touching them? Yes I know what you-oh!" His leg bumped the coffee table as he jerked in surprise to the arm of Kisha's chair shattering in her hand.

"You got that so wrong. My innocence allows me to enhance my physical abilities past what Komui calls Superhuman, whatever that means. You cannot lock me up in any manor." Kisha dropped the wood chips on the floor. "So, I will tell you that Allen has as much reason to side with those monsters as I do. Nothing more."

"Is that so?" He looked to Kashi who smiled back. "Are you not bothered by how Allen Walker was able to control the Ark, a creation of those monsters?"

Kisha snapped to her feet. "Nope, not one bit. Excuse me, I have work to do."

"You will stop!" Leverrier commanded, rising to his feet. Kisha ignored him. "Kashi, would you say something?"

Kashi took her hand away from her tea, cup and saucer hovering in the air. She snapped her fingers. The shut door turned gray as thin sheets of concrete formed over the wood and filigre. "Now, let's be civil?"

Kisha turned, teeth clench. "Never with you." She turned and punched the door full force. In an instant her skin turned white and the concrete door and wall exploded outward. There was a yell and then someone groaning under the rubble. Kisha strode out, making her way through the stone. A stride became a jog and then a run. The stones cracked under her feet. The air shook. Then she hit a wall. The wall dented as she came to a stop, chipped pieces falling to the floor.

The white faded away as she walked to the sound of water. small waterfalls dropped from the ceiling to a stream running slowly on the other side of a rail. Past that an open night sky partially clouded over. Kisha stuck her head under the water for a moment and then shook her hair out.

Standing at the rail, hair dripping excess water, Kisha took a deep breath at the sound of boots behind her.

"Go Away," she growled.

"Careful," Kanda cautioned, "you're getting emotional."

"Kanda." She turned away from the rail. He gave a daring look. She rolled her eyes. "Did I disturb your meditation or something?"

"Hardly. Just escaping from the infirmary when I heard the explosion. Since when could you do that?"

"Awhile. It has a high cost, so I don't. Usually."

"Might be worth it if we fight more high level opponents." Kisha turned back to him. "Just saying. Level three akuma, those giant ones and Noah are not easy enemies. We need all the power we can get."

She sighed. "Akuma I get. But the Noah. They're human aren't they?"

"Human or not, they are they enemy. Are you turning soft like Allen now?"

"Idiot," she spat. "This is about my so-called Mother."

He blinked. "Oh, right. I forgot."

"Every time I think of her, I just get so angry and I don't even know why."

Kanda looked around at the space with just them in it and folded his arms tight to his chest. "Because you feel abandoned by her? As I understand it, she left you in China all alone."

"Oh, yea, that does it, Getting trapped in that room by Rhode, Dumped in China, and then forgotten as I ran around trying to survive. Since when do you get this?"

"I'm logical, not unemotional. Also, you are not known for being so strange." Kanda shook his head. "My point is you threatened to kill me when we first met."

"I threatened to punch your face in, not kill you."

"My point stands. You deal with things by punching them. So, I am a bit surprised to see you so confused."

Kisha leaned back on the rail with both elbows. "Confused, huh? Is that what this is? It's been new thing after new thing with you guys."

He started counting on his fingers. "Let's see. New home, friendship, shock, dislocated joints, and now confusion. Did I miss anything?"

"Growth spurt?"

"Yes, that. You turned from a fifteen year old into a twenty-something. How did that happen again?"

"Some nonsense my mother said about my innocence." Kisha made a face. "Doesn't matter how it happened anyway. You all healed up?"

"Good as new. If only the matron would leave me alone. You should visit Allen. He asked about you."

"He's okay then?"

"So okay he's annoying. Just go see him and stop busting up the place." Kanda turned and walked back down the hallway. Kisha leaned against the rail for a long time, staring blankly at the wall.


	12. Feelings that Kill

Deep inside the fortress a bell tolled. Kisha sighed and pushed off the railing. Walking along, she was passed by clerks and workers running.

"Ms. Kisha!" She stopped at an intersection. The young man in black robes stopped to catch his breath. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"If you want me to talk to Leverrier, go away," she told him.

"No, not that. There's a problem in the research lab. All combat ready exorcists are ordered to assist."

"Research lab, got it. Did they tell you what was wrong?"

"They've been overrun by Akuma. You're to go to Ark Gate number three and meet up with the others. Ah, also..."

"What?"

"Komui had another message." He cleared his throat and said, "Get a goddamn golem already. His words, not mine."

Kisha scowled. "Thanks." She turned the corner and sped on to the Ark. It looked more like a panel of light than a gate, but the number three at the top looked strange for a simple sheet of glass. She jumped through it and the next one without a thought for the mountain-side city that existed between the two doors.

The lab was overrun. She spotted Allen and a few other exorcists already in the middle of everything. A couple giant Akuma hovered while the smaller level three akuma raged. Under the plant egg, a massive egg shaped object held in a harness and tripod, the floor was white and patterned in a way that clashed with the simple design on the place.

Kisha tossed herself upward, activating her innocence before her feet touched the sky high ceiling. The tiles crack under her feet. She slammed into one of the giant akuma's heads full force. The hard white material cracked and then shattered. A human sized hole formed inside it's skull. Kisha grabbed onto the edge and let out a shriek. The akuma vibrated shortly before completely falling apart.

She dropped down and landed on a mass of plants.

"Kisha, you're late." Cross was a towering figure with an eyepatch and dark red hair.

"Shoot me," Kisha told him, scanning the dying battle. "Who's creepy over there?" She pointed to the exorcist laughing his head off on top of a pile of dead akuma.

"General Sokaro." Cross gave me a look. "You've grown."

With some mental effort, Kisha reverted back to human. She jumped down to the ground under the network of pure white plants.

"Allen," she said, ducking into the alcove where Allen sat with the scientists and Bookman.

"Kisha, You're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be? So, what happened?" Kisha asked.

Reever stammered, "They just flooded the place, them and those skull faced things."

"They took Tapp." Kisha looked to the one that spoke, blubbering behind a pair of thick glasses. "They did something to Tapp."

He broke down, leaning into the chest of one of his colleagues, who then tried to comfort him. Kisha rolled her eyes. It was in that moment she noticed clouds of something that was not smoke.

"Akuma poison," she stated. "I'm going to take a look around."

"Be careful," Allen said. "I can still sense an akuma somewhere."

"It's the one that should be careful," Kisha retorted, reactivating her Innocence. She walked through the gases and plants, eyes darting over the wreckage. Nothing moved. She was reminded of a town she'd been in for a few months. She had camped out behind a bakery for most of the stay. It had ended like always; with an Akuma attack. a few dozen of them tore through the town trying to kill her, leaving a ruins and dust.

"Miranda," She heard someone yell. She turned trying to find the source. Then another yell drew her attention in the other direction.

"Tapp! Tapp!"                                                            

Kisha charged back the way she came and jumped over a gnarl of vines as tall as her. She came up near the doors above a downed giant. Several bulky people with skulls of faces stood by the door and with them was the scientist that was crying earlier. She dropped down behind him and lifted him to his feet.

"Stop crying," she grumbled, shoving him aside. "It is not helping."

He clung to her arm, crying, "They took Tapp."

"I heard you the first time. No need to repeat."

Even so, he repeated himself, slowly slipping down her arm. She ignored him, squinting at the skull faced people. She wanted to know what they were and what they wanted. Kisha took a few steps forward when something dark flitted at the edge of her vision. Something sharp punched through her abdomen and black tentacles wrapped around her arm and the scientist next to her. He yelled, pulled away even as the tentacles touching her skin turned to ash.

Kisha whirled, lunging for his hand. Her nails became talons, digging into his skin. He screamed wordlessly between terror and sorrow. The Akuma head had an open eye, split down the middle from which the tentacles dragged them towards. Kisha lost her footing, but managed to plant one clawed foot against the side of the face before falling in.

"Johnny, hang on!" Reever yelled. The other scientists were there then. One of them held up a box that looked like a spotlight. Kisha looked down as the light flickered on and a box formed around them. Reever and two others climbed up. "Can't you pull him out?"

Kisha tilted her head as Johnny disappeared further in. "And risk tearing his arm off?" The skull under her foot began to turn black and crumble. "Do something before I get stuck too."

"Grab hold," Reever told his co-workers. "On the count of three: one, two, three." Together, the four of them heaved on Johnny's arm. It worked after a breath and Johnny slid out, bloody and shaken. Kisha relaxed, her claws and talons retracting as she stepped down.

Bak was standing there, holding another of the spotlight machines. He looked okay if a little stressed. Kisha nodded stiffly to him and then waved at the scientists.

"Back up," She ordered. They dropped the barrier long enough four everyone except her to get out. Turning, Kisha focused all her energy into her arms. Her muscles bulged, spikes protruding like a ridge all the way up to her shoulders. She felt her clothes tear as even her back bulked up.

She punched, aiming for the spot already weakened by contact with her foot. The Akuma head exploded in a cloud of dust and gas. Kisha checked over her shoulder and confirmed that the barrier was still up.

She heard a pop. It was like an explosion. Kisha smashed through the barrier and fell to the ground. Looking up she saw more tentacles shoot out of the dust and grab people. She jumped forward, tearing every tentacles she could reach, but it wasn't fast enough. Two retreated successfully back into the cloud of Akuma dust.

"No!" Kisha grabbed onto the labcoat of the man running forward. He flailed against her hold.

She said, "They're already dead. Any human in that would be."

"Kisha," Bak said with a hand on her arm. "Can you do anything?"

"Of course. Just remember, you guys are the support, not the exorcist." She motioned to the spot lights. "What are those?"

"Talismans. They're used for containing Akuma, though only low level ones."

"Then find something constructive to do. Whatever is in there is not low level seeing as it survived my attack." Without waiting to hear what he would do, Kisha dove back into the spreading cloud. She could see better since the concentration had gone down with the explosion. The shadow at center was tall, much like a white marble statue of a pregnant woman. It didn't have eyes, only a plain white face and long flowing hair. The number four was written on it's belly.

Kisha surged forward, but was thrown back before she ever got to land the hit. She flipped in the air and lunged. It stretched upward and backward, making a high pitched noise that shook the air. Kisha stumbled, knees hitting the ground. Everything spun. Her shoulder hit the ground first as she tumbled onto her back, clutching her head.

Within moments, it was over. Kisha scrambled to her feet and looked to the strange figure. Bent backward, the enlarged belly was shattered like an egg. A human-like Akuma crouched to the side, inspecting it's hands. Even for a humanoid, the akuma was  mutated with a bulbous  belly and a round head. It had delicate looking wings on it's back and a halo over its brow. It was giggling to itself.

Kisha sprang forward, needing only the one movement to reach the akuma. Her fist hit empty air.

It laughed. "Now that was no fun," It jeered at her and flicked a finger to her side. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. She cracked against the wall, falling to the ground with a groan. Somehow, her body hurt. She could feel pieces of her peeling off, cracking. She reached with one arm, trying to get support under her, but her arm crumbled. She closed her eyes.

 

When she opened her eyes, the pain was gone. Light shone on the floor. A stone dropped next to her hand. Kisha blinked, seeing that part of her arm and hand appeared as if chewed away.

She rolled over and saw the broken platform overhead. It looked strange. Something wrong irked at her thoughts. She lifted both hands and stared at them for a long time before she realized the part that was wrong was everything. She didn't recognize her surroundings. She had lost consciousness without losing activation. Her arm wasn't repairing itself like it usually would. It was strangely quiet.

Kisha shook her head and pushed up to her feet. In addition to the state of her arm, her clothes were tattered, hanging on by thin strips. Her side and abdomen were in a blackened state. She lifted her eyes and stared unthinking at the gaping crater in the middle of the room. the floor was completely gone, a sea of white light replaced it. Upper levels were barely better, falling apart and supports bare.

She took one step towards the door and then another, moving rote more than intent. Even without the pain, her head was in a haze. She wondered where everyone was and what had happened. The black wall that had been covering the exit was gone and the hallways next to empty. Bodies lay on the ground every now and then.

She didn't think about where she was going. She just walked towards the center of the headquarters. It seemed natural. Clustered next to the railing in the tower were more injured, a few able to move. She ignored them, stepping up to the railing. She could not see anything in the darkness below, but she could hear yelling, faint and inaudible. Not that she could bring herself to care, but she had to go down there.

She jumped over the railing and dropped, free falling into the dark. A pinprick of light became several and grew. Below, people had gathered on the bridge. The elevator lay in a heap to the side and Allen fought with the Akuma further down. She kicked off the wall, propelling herself onto the bridge.

Leverier whirled hearing the crash of her landing. He yelled at her, probably demanding something, but she tuned him out. She lifted her degraded arm and dismayed that it had grown worse. She'd never get enough power to deal with the Akuma like normal the way she was now.

"Quit Ignoring me!" Leverrier roared, slapping her face. She barely noticed, though he stepped away, clenching a red hand behind his back. She stared at him. "I told you to get down there and fight like the exorcist you are."

She punched him. There was a blast like a cannon and he went flying down the length of the bridge. She flexed her hand and turned to look down again. The Akuma stood over Allen now, laughing it's head off. The noise bugged her.

"Would you shut up!" she yelled. The akuma turned to squint up at her. It dropped Allen and jumped onto the bridge next to her.

"What are you going to do about it, Scream?" It taunted.

Strange enough, the idea clicked, so she smiled at the akuma. She drew in deep and let out a scream so high she could barely hear it. But the akuma heard it clear as day, she could tell. It pressed its hands to its ears, trying to block out the noise. The note echoed in the curved pit.

Seeing the opening, Allen jumped up and cleaved the akuma in half. He grinned at Kisha, ready to celebrate, when she raised one hand as it turned to dust. She didn't say a word, only smiled sadly as the degradation spread to her torso. When she hit the floor, all that was left were bones, blood and a small white cube that seemed to glow with its own dark light.


End file.
